# Greatest piano miniatures ever



## Beebert (Jan 3, 2019)

I was thinking that everyone who wants to can name their top 10 greatest piano miniatures ever. It is difficult to just name 10, since only Chopin, Brahms, and Schubert wrote like 15 pieces each that are worthy to be on such a list. But here is my top 10:

1. Schubert Impromptu, D 899 no. 3
2. Chopin Nocturne, Op 55 no. 2
3. Brahms Intermezzo, Op 118 no. 2
4. Chopin Nocturne, Op 62 no. 1
5. Brahms Intermezzo, Op 117 no. 2
6. Debussy Prelude no. 5 from book 1: Les collines d’Anacapri
7. Schubert Impromptu, D 899 no. 4
8. Chopin Nocturne, Op 48 no. 1
9. Chopin Mazurka, Op 59 no. 2
10. Brahms Intermezzo, Op 116 no. 6


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Rachmaninoff prelude op.23 no.5 in G minor, etudes op.33 no.4, op.39 no.6, moment musicaux op.16 no.4, Scriabin etudes op.42 no.5, op.8 no.12, Ravel jeux d'eau, Liszt liebestraum, ricordanza, la leggierezza, Valse-impromptu, Grieg wedding day, Debussy Arabesque no.1..
But how would you define a 'piano miniature'? Schubert Impromptu, D 899 no. 4 takes about 8 minutes to perform. Moszkowski was also a good composer of etudes (and a fine melodist)





^I sense Liszt's influence in this one


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

*"There is more music in Chopin's tiny C-minor Prélude than in the four hours of the trumpeting in Les Huguenots." -G. Sand*


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I enjoy *Erik Satie*'s solo piano works, many of which would fit the description of "miniature."


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Others sets of miniatures that have yet to be mentioned:

Medtner - Skakzi
Shostakovich - 24 Preludes
Messiaen - Preludes
Prokofiev - Visions Fugitive
Faure - Nocturnes


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

A lot of Chopin would probably qualify, especially some of the Preludes.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

Schumann has the greatest miniatures next to Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Brahms. His Op.12, Op.15, and Op.82 are outstanding examples of miniatures. And we can't forget the incredible Op.99.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Look at this adorable little piece:




some fingers (4, 5) of the right hand are played in legato, while some others (1, 2) are played in staccato, similar to Rachmaninoff op.33 no.4. Very tricky, but clever, and fun to play.


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## numinisgos (May 10, 2017)




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## Beebert (Jan 3, 2019)

chu42 said:


> Schumann has the greatest miniatures along with Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Brahms. His Op.12, Op.15, and Op.82 are outstanding examples of miniatures.


I dont think Rachmaninov is even close to the other mentioned composers


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Beebert said:


> I dont think Rachmaninov is even close to the other mentioned composers


In terms of







?


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Beebert said:


> I dont think Rachmaninov is even close to the other mentioned composers


So you love Schubert, Mr. Beebert? I think you underrate Rachmaninoff; do listen to his Op.16 set.



Beebert said:


> So, thought it would be fun If you list your personal top 10 favorite/greatest works from the following three periods: Sonata period(before romanticism), Romantic period and 20th century. So here are mine:
> Sonata period:
> 1. Schubert Piano Sonata no. 21, D 960
> ...





Beebert said:


> 1. Schubert 9
> 2. Beethoven 9
> 3. Mozart 41
> ...


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

SanAntone said:


> I enjoy *Erik Satie*'s solo piano works, many of which would fit the description of "miniature."


Strange that you are the only person thus far, including the OP, who refers to *Satie*.

IMHO, his piano '_miniatures_' transcend the enormous works of innumerable composers ........


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)




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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

NoCoPilot said:


>


Though I virtually never listen to non-classical music, the major non-classical genres that I appreciate most - outside of gospel/hymns and world/folk music - are blues/jazz and ragtime piano. I love Joplin and Waller - and what a treat it is to see such a "serious" pianist as Zimerman have some fun with those Gershwin preludes! Joplin, in particular, could rival Chopin and Brahms for maximum emotional concentration within a small package.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Though I virtually never listen to non-classical music, the major non-classical genres that I appreciate most - outside of gospel/hymns and world/folk music - are blues/jazz and ragtime piano. I love Joplin and Waller - and what a treat it is to see such a "serious" pianist as Zimerman have some fun with those Gershwin preludes! Joplin, in particular, could rival Chopin and Brahms for maximum emotional concentration within a small package.


If you like ragtime, try Joseph Lamb. Especially, his Bird-brain rag [14:55] , and Alaskan Rag [2:00].




(although I consider ragtime a "separate genre" from European classical music as much as I do avant-garde music, I just wanted to comment a bit about it.)


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

I always thought Joplin's clarity of thought, and intersection of melody lines, rivaled Bach. Most other ragtime doesn't come close.

Though Bolcom's "Graceful Ghost" is breathtakingly beautiful, to my ears (21:29 on this recording, where I first heard it)


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

Beebert said:


> I dont think Rachmaninov is even close to the other mentioned composers


Really? I consider his Op.32 and Op.23 preludes to be the greatest preludes ever written next to Bach's and Chopin's. His Moment Musicaux are some of his best early works and if you consider the Etudes-Tableaux to be miniatures, then there is another incredible set. That's 3 hours of great miniatures right there, everything considered.

But if you just don't like Rachmaninov in general then there isn't much I can say in rebuttal.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

I tend to think of the shorter examples:

Schubert - _Moments musicaux_
Scriabin - many _poèmes_, short preludes, example is Four Pieces, op. 51
Prokofiev - _Visions fugitives_
Schoenberg - _Sechs Klavierstücke_, op. 19


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Beebert said:


> I dont think Rachmaninov is even close to the other mentioned composers


Here's three superb pieces from the Op. 32 set, which I've always admired more than Op. 23. The G minor prelude gets the most attention, and it's a great piece - I've played it - but I think these are wonderful examples of the melancholy, soulful Russian passion that fills all of Rach's music:


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## Luchesi (Mar 15, 2013)

Roger Knox said:


> I tend to think of the shorter examples:
> 
> Schubert - _Moments musicaux_
> Scriabin - many _poèmes_, short preludes, example is Four Pieces, op. 51
> ...







If you haven't seen them you might enjoy these 6 pieces composed by Glenn Gould (moving score).


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Now THAT'S miniatures -- really good! These pieces are new to me -- thanks.


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## Bxnwebster (Jan 5, 2021)

1. Guarnieri: Ponteios (No. 34)
2.	Schumann: Kreisleriana (No. 6)
3.	Villa-Lobos: Ciclo Brasileiro (2. Impressoes Seresteiras)
4.	Szymanowski: Métopes (Kalipso)
5.	Auerbach: 10 Dreams (No. 7)
6.	Scriabin: 2 Poems, Op. 32 (No. 1)
7.	Poulenc: Les soirées de Nazelles (2. Le Coeur sur la main)
8.	Granados: 6 Pieces on Spanish Folksongs (No. 1)
9.	Bártok: Out of Doors (V. The Chase)
10.	Komitas: 12 Pieces for Children (6. My Darling and Marjan)


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*Boulez* - _Notations_ for solo piano are 12 miniatures, and very nice.






Also *Bernstein*'s _Anniversaries_, in several different groupings. Here's one from the "Thirteen Anniversaries" - #3 for Stephen Sondheim.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm not going to get into the futile 'A better than B' arguments.
I'll just remind you all that Grieg's 70-plus Lyric Pieces are genuinely miniature and include some delightful, intriguing and surprising music.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Pat Fairlea said:


> I'm not going to get into the futile 'A better than B' arguments.
> I'll just remind you all that Grieg's 70-plus Lyric Pieces are genuinely miniature and include some delightful, intriguing and surprising music.


it's also interesting that the last piece, 'Remembrances' (1901) is based off of the very first piece, 'Arietta' (1867) as if to form some kind of a "cycle".


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## Dirge (Apr 10, 2012)

Frédéric CHOPIN: *Waltz No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 64/2* (1847)
:: Lipatti [EMI '50] Opus Kura




_A wonderfully reluctant and conflicted waltz that is compelled to dance despite itself._

Béla BARTÓK: *Allegro barbaro* (1911)
:: Marík [Draco? '63] Arbiter




_A work to make you understand and appreciate the brutal/severe/dissonant/percussive Bartók stereotype of yore … this is your grandparents' Bartók._

Alexander SCRIABIN: *Vers la flamme, Op. 72* (1914)
:: Horowitz [Columbia '72]




_An aborted piano sonata turned destruction-of-the-world tone poem._

Zoltan KODÁLY: *"Epitaph"* from *7 Piano Pieces, Op. 11* (1910-18)
:: Sándor [Vox Candide '74]




_Had Liszt happened upon Debussy's "La cathédrale engloutie" in his travels, it would have surely ended up in his «Années de pèlerinage» sounding something like "Epitaph."_

Gabriel FAURÉ: *Nocturne No. 13 in B minor, Op. 119* (1921)
:: Thyssens-Valentin [Ducretet-Thomson '56] Testament




_An intently sad/nostalgic and elusive little world unto itself._

Anton WEBERN: *Variations for Piano, Op. 27* (1935-36)
:: Pollini [DG '76]




_Three peas in a twelve-tone pod._

Stephan WOLPE: *Dance in Form of a Chaconne* (1939)
:: Holzman [Bridge '00]




_Quirky and angular and disjunct and off-kilter in an enjoyable sort of way._

Conlon NANCARROW: *Study No. 3a for Player Piano* (1948-49)
:: supervised by composer [1750 Arch Recordings '77] Other Minds




_Boogie-woogie run amok._

György LIGETI: *Musica ricercata VII* (1951-53)
:: Babayan [Pro Piano '97]




_A fetching folk melody in the right hand is floated above a relentlessly mesmerizing seven-note ostinato in the left hand to magical effect._

J. S. BACH (trans. György KURTÁG): *Sonatina* from *"Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit," BWV 106 (Actus tragicus)* (1707-08/1991)
:: M. & G. Kurtág [ECM '96]




_Kurtág takes Bach's already beautifully distilled and economical Sonatina and distills it some more … for piano four hands._


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

hammeredklavier said:


> it's also interesting that the last piece, 'Remembrances' (1901) is based off of the very first piece, 'Arietta' (1867) as if to form some kind of a "cycle".


Thank you - I hadn't spotted that. The Lyric Pieces put me in mind of a box of polished stones, some of them more colourful than others, some more shiny, some of an unusual shape, but each of them deserving to be taken out and looked at with appreciation.

Now I'm getting lyrical...


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