Miniatures and the like - Short one-movement pieces that stand on their own

[Sergeant Rock]

Edvard Grieg's Landkjenning is one of my favorite short choral pieces...Unfortunately, I have only heard of this one recording on a Deutsche Grammophon 6-disc set with Neeme Järvi...

It's also on this BIS CD with the Bergen Phil conducted by Ruud:




Sarge

[Bunny]

One of my favorite miniature symphonies is Roy Harris's Symphony No. 3 in One Movement.  Bernstein's recording is my favorite.
George Crumb's Voices of Ancient Children is a short song cycle that also has to qualify as a great miniature work.

I think old Bach was probably one of the greatest (if not the greatest) miniaturist who ever composed.  Just think of his Italian Concerto, the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, the French Overture, or any one of the Ouvertures.  Then there are his shorter Cantatas, eg. Ich habe Genug, Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, Ich will dein Kruez gern tragen,  Psaume 51 (after Pergolesi) et. al.  The majesty of his creations stops us from thinking of his works as "minature," but if you are just going by duration of time, many of his works fit the description.  All of those are short works that stand easily on their own.

We also shouldn't forget Beethoven's Violin Romances which also stand as short one movement concertos. Nor any of Chopin's Nocturnes, Waltzes, Mazurkas, or Polonaises.  In fact, almost all of Chopin's oeuvre is of "miniature" pieces.

Finally, the Neruda Songs by Peter Lieberson have to stand as a new classic, especially the benchmark performance of his late wife which may in future be equaled, but imo never surpassed.

[Tancata]

Many of the beautiful mid-Baroque cantatas by Buxtehude, Schutz, JC Bach, Erlebach and others last less than 10 minutes. The most famous of these is probably the Klagelied by Buxtehude. A tasty selection of these snacks is available on a 1998 recording:

Andreas Scholl - Kantate

Also, a lot of Monteverdi's sacred music and some of his madrigals - including much excellent music - are less than 10 minutes.

[71 dB]

Many of the beautiful mid-Baroque cantatas by Buxtehude, Schutz, JC Bach, Erlebach and others last less than 10 minutes. The most famous of these is probably the Klagelied by Buxtehude. A tasty selection of these snacks is available on a 1998 recording:

Andreas Scholl - Kantate

I have that CD with unique box.

Yes, German middle baroque cantatas rule. It's among the most perfect forms of music. I love the balance between different musical dimension. There's melody, harmony, counterpoint, rhythm etc working together. Basso continuo sounds heavenly. It's a shame all this beautiful music is so unknown to many who think nothing happened in music between Schütz and J. S. Bach. Buxtehude's Klagelied is indeed the best known of these works but the most beautiful I have heard is Nikolaus Bruhns' cantata O werter heil'ger Geist.

[Mirror Image]

Lyadov is the master of short one-movement works that stand on their own. For example: Village Scene by the Inn, Baba Yaga, From the Apocalypse, The Enchanted Lake, Kikimora, to name a few.

[Mirror Image]

One of the most gorgeous works I've heard that's around 2-3 minutes is Stanford's The Bluebird for chorus. I'm not one for strictly choral music, but this one has haunted me for many years now.

[Brian]

On the subject of choral music: "The 70,000," by Leos Janacek, is one of his greatest, weirdest, and shortest pieces. Totally fantastic.

[Mirror Image]

On the subject of choral music: "The 70,000," by Leos Janacek, is one of his greatest, weirdest, and shortest pieces. Totally fantastic.

Have you heard Stanford's "Bluebird," Brian? If this doesn't touch you, in some way, then I'll wager you have no soul.

[eyeresist]

See my signature

[Karl Henning]

Have Stravinsky's Le roi des étoiles and Prokofiev's Seven, They Are Seven been mentioned yet?

[Karl Henning]

Sibelius' Tulen Synty ("The Origin of Fire"), an orchestral song. One of his most powerful, majestic works, yet seemingly little known.

Oh, not seemingly, but genuinely little known, I should think.

[snyprrr]

Lyadov is the master of short one-movement works that stand on their own. For example: Village Scene by the Inn, Baba Yaga, From the Apocalypse, The Enchanted Lake, Kikimora, to name a few.

good call!

[Mirror Image]

good call!

[Leon]

Have Stravinsky's Le roi des étoiles and Prokofiev's Seven, They Are Seven been mentioned yet?

Stravinsky has a bunch of fantastic "miniatures".  Some that I especially like are Ragtime for Eleven Instruments, Symphonies for Wind Instruments and Dumbarton Oaks.

[snyprrr]

um?,... Webern anyone?

[Karl Henning]

um?,... Webern anyone?

Nominate something!

[North Star]

Symphonies for Wind Instruments

Absolutely!
Then there's Sibelius - Luonnotar for soprano and orch, Tulen Synty (The Origin of Fire) for baritone, choir and orch, Andante Festivo for string quartet or string orchestra, Valse triste from the music to the play Kuolema (Death)

If Chopin's small pieces that often form a larger whole are counted, then Ravel's and Janacek's piano music belongs here, too.

[Karl Henning]

I suppose the confusion is baked in right in the OP;  but I don't think that a 9-minute piece is a miniature. Certainly not the Symphonies d'instruments à vent.

The four-minute mark is about where I stop considering a piece a miniature.

[Karl Henning]

b]Chopin[/b]'s small pieces that often form a larger whole are counted....

This is The Usual GMG Entropy (e.g., Ask for a favorite recording, and in a week's time, every single recording of the piece will have been named by someone or other) . . . but I should have thought it obvious that, given a set of (say) 24 pieces, no one of those is a stand-alone element . . . .

[Leon]

I suppose the confusion is baked in right in the OP;  but I don't think that a 9-minute piece is a miniature. Certainly not the Symphonies d'instruments à vent.

The four-minute mark is about where I stop considering a piece a miniature.

Point taken.  However, I was paying more attention to the "one movement" aspect and not the miniature connotation.