Shortest pieces?

[westknife]

I guess there are two questions here:

1) What is the shortest piece in standard repertoire, i.e. that you would normally expect to hear at a mainstream concert?

2) What is the shortest piece of all, counting the most obscure modernist composer or whatever


Score to beat for the first question, i.e. the shortest piece I know of, and the germ for this thread, is Beethoven's Bagatelle Op.119/10, which in my Kovacevich recording clocks in at 11 seconds. As for the second question I have no idea.

[Luke]

possibly

http://www.johncage.info/workscage/000.html

[snyprrr]

He was meaning 'music' not bullshit Luke.

tee hee

[Mirror Image]

He was meaning 'music' not bullshit Luke.

Yeah really.

[DavidW]

There is a recitative in Bach's St. Matthew Passion that clocks in at only 3 seconds.  That is at least the shortest bit I have in my collection.

[Opus106]

There is a recitative in Bach's St. Matthew Passion that clocks in at only 3 seconds.  That is at least the shortest bit I have in my collection.

Which one is that?

[DavidW]

Which one is that?

Copying the title-- "St. Matthew Passion (Matthäuspassion), for soloists, double chorus & double orchestra, BWV 244 (BC D3b): 50a. Recitative -Evangelist: Sie schrieen aber noch mehr" which is on disc 3 of the recording I have Cleobury.

[Opus106]

Copying the title-- "St. Matthew Passion (Matthäuspassion), for soloists, double chorus & double orchestra, BWV 244 (BC D3b): 50a. Recitative -Evangelist: Sie schrieen aber noch mehr" which is on disc 3 of the recording I have Cleobury.

Thanks. It's combined with two other choral parts and two more Evangelist recitatives in one track lasting for 1:50 in the version I have.

[DavidW]

Thanks. It's combined with two other choral parts and two more Evangelist recitatives in one track lasting for 1:50 in the version I have.

That makes more sense, tracks by the seconds are to torture those that don't have gapless playback!

[Luke]

Yeah really.

For goodness sake, I answered the question, didn't I? It is (potentially) 'the shortest piece of all, counting the most obscure modernist composer or whatever' whether James-the-predictable or you or anyone else like it or not. No one said anything about quality.