Quiz: Mystery scores

[Larry Rinkel]

And a couple of easier ones

The top one is the Bartok 4th quartet.

[bwv 1080]

The top one is the Bartok 4th quartet.

Yes

[bwv 1080]

This should be easy as well

[Maciek]

Love BVW1 - it's hilarious. Have no idea what it is though...

[bwv 1080]

In the same vein as 4

[karlhenning]

Celli in Le sacre, the Augures printanières

[bwv 1080]

obviously not the original score

[bwv 1080]

Celli in Le sacre, the Augures printanières

Yes, that one was too easy

[lukeottevanger]

working backwards...


no 6 = Giant Steps, I think

no 5 Karl got there first

no 4 = mandolin [?] part of one of Webern's op 10 pieces

no 3 = Falla's Homenaje a Debussy (note quotation from Soiree dans Grenade)

no 2 Larry got there first

no 1 = possibly that silly thing whose full name escapes me but which has something to do with fairies

[bwv 1080]

working backwards...


no 6 = Giant Steps, I think

no 5 Karl got there first

no 4 = mandolin [?] part of one of Webern's op 10 pieces

no 3 = Falla's Homenaje a Debussy (note quotation from Soiree dans Grenade)

no 2 Larry got there first

no 1 = possibly that silly thing whose full name escapes me but which has something to do with fairies

Right on all but 1 (that is a common misattribution - it is not the Faerie's Aire and Death Waltz)

[matticus]

#64 is Finnissy's Song 9, analysed by Ferneyhough in '78.

[lukeottevanger]

Ah, OK - that was the one I was thinking of. Don't know the title of this one, though it looks familiar.

As for your guesses on mine:

So thought I could take a stab at these, but to no luck.  Thought 63 might be one of the Brahms variations given the polyrhythms,  64 is a Ferneyhough piece - Sonatas for String Quartet or the 2nd SQ perhaps?  Thought 65 was Debussy or perhaps Ravel, but struck out there

63 isn't Brahms - I chose a page where the melody is clear, but actually on preceding pages the polyrhythms here are exceeded in complexity. It is really a stunning little jewel of a piece, one of my favourite from the set it is drawn from (another mini clue)

64 isn't Ferneyhough, though you are right in that is it is clearly 'New Complexity'. I said that a composer possibly even better-known than the composer of this piece had written an analysis of it - and that analyst-composer is Ferneyhough This piece is actually a good deal more improbably complex and less rationally notated than any Ferneyhough piece for piano, which is the instrument for which it is written. You are forgiven for thinking it was a Quartet, however! (FWIW, the Ferneyhough Sonatas for String Quartet are a much simpler score than this - scarcely a nested tuplet in sight, in fact, though still complexity enough to make most ensembles cower in their boots)

[edit] ah - I see matticus has just correctly identified this piece, making the above superfluous! Yes, it's Finnissy's ne plus ultra, Song 9.

65, believe it or not, is one of Debussy or Ravel - well done! In both cases, we tend to think that their complete piano works can be fairly neatly sewn up, but actually both composers have odd little miniatures like this one floating around which are almost unknown.

Don't forget, though, there are more than these three remaining - take a look on page 42 for the full list plus clues.

[Maciek]

65, believe it or not, is one of Debussy or Ravel

I felt it could be Ravel all along but I'm almost certain I know all of Ravel's piano solo music. So, even though it looks and sounds more like Ravel to me, I'm voting for Debussy. (Besides, the "quote" thing seems to be pointing to Debussy. I think. )

[bwv 1080]

A common thread here

[lukeottevanger]

no 7 - Albeniz - Suite Espanole (Sevilla)

no 9 - I'm going for a Scarlatti sonata, though I will have to search for which one it might be

and yes, Maciek, it is Debussy. The 'quote' (no such thing really, it's just a similarity) being from La plus que lente, to my eyes.

[Maciek]

and yes, Maciek, it is Debussy. The 'quote' (no such thing really, it's just a similarity) being from La plus que lente, to my eyes.

Yes, La plus que lente is what I see there too. And I think something else too - but now I can't remember what it was and don't see it anymore. Hopefully it will come back. Quite a surprise though, to see lean textures like these in Debussy - and such an easy piece...!

[karlhenning]

Yes, that one was too easy

Trust me to nab the one that's too easy 

[lukeottevanger]

Steve's no 9 is the Scarlatti sonata given the Longo Number S3, which according to my chart translates a K 513

[lukeottevanger]

Yes, La plus que lente is what I see there too. And I think something else too - but now I can't remember what it was and don't see it anymore. Hopefully it will come back. Quite a surprise though, to see lean textures like these in Debussy - and such an easy piece...!

Well, amongst those other lesser Debussy piano pieces there's the tragic, late Elegie, which is similarly spare. And of course, slightly better known, there's the Berceuse Heroique, and the Hommage to Haydn, mature miniature masterpieces both. Also a Morceau de Concours which is interesting, a sort of mix of whole tone fanfares and Minstrels-like gruppeti. This piece, then, is none of these, which may help!

[greg]

Here is one

i've seen that before......