Each of the Préludes for Piano was written to fulfill assignments for Peter Kay's various professors at the University of South Carolina. In every case, he was assigned to mimic the style of a 20th century composer. Rather than simply copying the voices of the past, Kay was able to assimilate their techniques and procedures in order to create a voice of his own. Still, it is apparent that Debussy, Berg, Shönberg, and Webern heavily influenced these works.

Préludes 2, 3, and 4 are accompanied by analytical scores and papers.

(No. 4, written in 2009, is yet to be recorded or performed.)