Short-ish Cycles of Short-ish Piano Works

[Sonata33]

I am compiling a list of short-ish cycles of short-ish piano works. (Backstory and pedagogy behind this is irrelevant other than it's just for myself; I am consulting other more formal sources, as well).

The track my mind is on would include the sets below; think "character pieces" but absolutely not limited to any musical era:

Ligeti: Musica Ricercara
MacDowell: Woodland Sketches; Fireside Tales; Sea Pieces
Eubanks: 5 Interludes
Bartok: Roumanian Folk Dances
Rachmaninoff: 5 Pieces, Op.3
Schubert: Moment Musicaux


Cycles like the below could maybe work, but would be borderline regarding my idea of focus, mainly due to overall length. I could always break them up, but I would prefer to stick to complete sets for this project.

Chopin: Preludes, Op. 28
Beethoven: Bagatelles, various sets
Bartok: 14 Bagatelles, Op. 6
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Ex.
Schumann: Carnaval
Greig: Lyric Pieces, various sets
Mendelssohn: Songs w/o Words


When I talk about a cycle, I am definitely not talking about cycles in this manner:

Chopin: Etudes; Mazurkas; etc
Bach: WTC; Toccatas; etc
Debussy: Preludes


Of course I would be most interested in obscure sets of pieces, but of course the standards are welcome, too, as I am sure the most obvious examples have escaped me and may never return to my mind without prodding in that direction.

[Scarpia]

I am compiling a list of short-ish cycles of short-ish piano works. (Backstory and pedagogy behind this is irrelevant other than it's just for myself; I am consulting other more formal sources, as well).

The track my mind is on would include the sets below; think "character pieces" but absolutely not limited to any musical era:

Ligeti: Musica Ricercara
MacDowell: Woodland Sketches; Fireside Tales; Sea Pieces
Eubanks: 5 Interludes
Bartok: Roumanian Folk Dances
Rachmaninoff: 5 Pieces, Op.3
Schubert: Moment Musicaux


Cycles like the below could maybe work, but would be borderline regarding my idea of focus, mainly due to overall length. I could always break them up, but I would prefer to stick to complete sets for this project.

Chopin: Preludes, Op. 28
Beethoven: Bagatelles, various sets
Bartok: 14 Bagatelles, Op. 6
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Ex.
Schumann: Carnaval
Greig: Lyric Pieces, various sets
Mendelssohn: Songs w/o Words


When I talk about a cycle, I am definitely not talking about cycles in this manner:

Chopin: Etudes; Mazurkas; etc
Bach: WTC; Toccatas; etc
Debussy: Preludes


Of course I would be most interested in obscure sets of pieces, but of course the standards are welcome, too, as I am sure the most obvious examples have escaped me and may never return to my mind without prodding in that direction.

The distinction between cycles you count and cycles you don't count is entirely lost on me.  There are Ligeti's Etudes, but I have no idea which category you would put them in.

[Philoctetes]

Satie: Sports et Divertissements, and many more, but that's his 'largest' set.

[Sonata33]

The distinction between cycles you count and cycles you don't count is entirely lost on me.  There are Ligeti's Etudes, but I have no idea which category you would put them in.

Think of "character pieces" or pieces that would [usually] always be presented as a set at the advanced/professional level.

For example, "Woodland Sketches" are short, and it would be very reasonable to expect to see them all on a program as a set. The pieces are all related to each other as a set.

Although I am sure it has been done, it would be extremely unlikely to see all of Ligeti's Etudes all programmed together at once as a set on a recital. While of the same distinction based on title, they otherwise aren't related to each other.

Make sense, or is it worse?

The Satie is a great example.

[Brian]

Norman dello Joio: Suite
Dvorak: Eight Humoresques*
Dvorak: Four Eclogues
Grieg: If you could choose from the Lyric Pieces, or the Norwegian Melodies, that would be great. Or you could opt for the piano reductions of the Peer Gynt Suites!
Gershwin: Three Preludes*
Brahms: Intermezzi/pieces opp 117-119
Chopin: Four Impromptus
Severac: Cerdana*
Turina: Danzas fantasticas
J.V. Vorisek: Impromptus (6 pieces, 36 minutes though)
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes
Shostakovich: Ten Aphorisms
Suites by J.S. Bach, Rameau*, Couperin, etc.

Hope that is a start!    I put *asterisks next to a few that I personally like particularly well, as a listener. And a note on Dvorak's Humoresques: the famous one is not the 'best' one. Nos 2-5 are especially wonderful.

[Philoctetes]

Prokofiev's Visions
Prokofiev's Sarcasms

[Luke]

Jatekok is 5 volumes! (maybe 6 - I have them downstairs, but I'm in bed...!).

I'd add some cycles that I think are of real signficance

Janacek - On an Overgown Path (an absolute dead cert)
Suk - About Mother
Ravel - Miroirs
Decaux - Clairs de Lune
Mompou - Musica Callada
Finnissy - Gershwin Arrangements
Busoni - Elegies
Bartok - Bagatelles

[mc ukrneal]

I'm not entirely clear either. Would I be right in thinking that Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paginini would be in (or Rachmaninov's Variations on a Theme of Chopin), but that Chopin's etudes (or Godowsky's Studies on Chopin's etudes) woudl be out? I guess I am not clear why Pictures at an Exhibition would be out as it is clearly a work composed/played as one piece. I think Schumann's Kinderszenen could be included.

[listener]

Nicholas SLONIMSKY    51 Minitudes   a selection of these was on a Orion LP
short novelty pieces, only 42 pages for the set
includes " A BAD EGG " polka, CABBAGE Waltz, A National Anthem in Search of a Country, and a dodecaphonic arrangement of "Ach, du lieber Augustin".
I may scan one of these for the Mystery Scores thread.

[Luke]

Nicholas SLONIMSKY    51 Minitudes   a selection of these was on a Orion LP
short novelty pieces, only 42 pages for the set
includes " A BAD EGG " polka, CABBAGE Waltz, A National Anthem in Search of a Country, and a dodecaphonic arrangement of "Ach, du lieber Augustin".
I may scan one of these for the Mystery Scores thread.

you'll already find one or two of them in there, from my own copy. Very funny pieces!

[Sonata33]

Lots of great stuff!

I would comment more, but I am short on time today.

Lots of ideas that I should have come up with myself yet they escaped me, which is what I thought would happen.

Thanks to all.

[12tone.]

I'm surprised no one said anything about Poulenc and his 200 short cycles for solo piano.

[Ten thumbs]

The main question that faces you is what is a cycle and what is not? Many opus numbers are actually assemblages of unrelated pieces prepared by the composer to meet the publisher's demands. For instance none of Mendelssohn's sets of Songs without Words form a cycle and neither do Grieg's sets of Lyric Pieces. On the other hand Schumann was very insistent that his works formed a coherent whole. The real tests are harmonic progression and thematic relation.
One therefore needs to investigate individual cases.
Having said that there is no reason why you should not make your own judgment. For instance Brahms Op. 118 feels like a cycle to me though I have not analysed it.
Here are some suggestions:
Liszt: Christmas Tree Suites
Fanny Hensel: Das Jahr
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition ( definitely a cycle, but too long?)
Kirchner: Nachtbilder
Debussy: Suite Bergamasque
Ravel; le Tombeau de Couperin
Chabrier: Pieces Pittoresques
Rebikoff: les Feux du Soir
Medtner: Vergessene Wiesen (3 cycles)

Of the latter Op 38 begins with the Sonata Reminiscenza, which is often recorded separately but Op 38 is actually a cycle that ends with No 8 Alla Reminiscenza, which is marked 'quasi coda'.

[Ten thumbs]

On reflection I can see that many of the cycles suggested are too long for your needs. Short cycles are rare probably due to lack of demand and poor reward. This also means that they are often not even available on CD. There are of course those that were composed for children but I don't know whether these would suit.
Here is a revised list of 'short' cycles:
Liszt: Christmas Tree suites
Kirchner: Ideale, Reflexe
Grieg: From Holberg's Time
Jongen; Petite Suite Op. 75
Debussy: Suite Bergamasque
Rebikoff: les Feux du Soir, Une Fête, Rêves de Bonheur, Fleurs d'automne

Rebikoff is a rich source but, in spite of being as important a composer as Satie, he remains under-represented in recording.

[abidoful]

From Finland;

- Jean Sibelius: Puu-sarja (Tree-Cycle) op.75, wonderful character pieces inspired by particular trees
- Leevi Madetoja: Kuoleman Puutarha (The Garden of Death), a triphtyk
- Einojuhani Rautavaara: Ikonit (Icons), piano-cycle based on Icons of the Orthodox Church (of Christ), an early work

[snyprrr]

The Dallapiccola thing,... 'Annabella', or something.

Denisov Bagatelles

[tarantella]

I have uncovered some charming character pieces by composers you wouldn't necessarily reach for immediatley
Please see this below link for a set of variations 'Introduction, Variations Brilliantes Et Rondeau de Chasse Op.202' by Czerny and a charming Chansons san paroles by him too which is a lovely pieces

http://www.amazon.com/Czeryny-Chamber-Music-Carl-Czerny/dp/B000007TE4/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1287163709&sr=1-5

Also the La Tenerezza, Pastorale and Gigue bu Moscheles played by the some pianist as above

http://www.amazon.com/Ignaz-Moscheles-Works-Flute-Meridian/dp/B00007K1WV/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1287163709&sr=1-1

[k-k-k-kenny]

Kabeláč: 8 Preludes, Op. 30
Goltz: 24 Preludes, Op. 2
Emmanuel: Les Six Sonatines
Alexandrov: Six Preludes, Op. 1, 3 Studies Op. 31
Dallapiccola: Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera
Stanchinsky: 3 Sketches, 12 Sketches
Pennisi: Sei Pezzi Brevi
Ballif: Airs Comprimés Op. 5, Passe-temps Op. 38  - of you can stand them