Five Easy Pieces (Stravinsky)
Five Easy Pieces, also referred to by its original French title Cinq pièces faciles, is a collection of pieces for four hands by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was finished in 1917 and was published as a set in the winter of 1917/18.
Composition
The Five Easy Pieces were commissioned by French patroness Eugène Murat in November 1916. The original offer was to publish Stravinsky's Three Pieces for String Quartet, which he refused to do. However, he agreed to publish several short pieces, among them Renard, Berceuses du chat and the soon to be composed Five Easy Pieces under the Geneva-based company run by Adolphe Henn.[1] Stravinsky composed each of the movements of the collection in only one day in his house in Morges.
The first movement, Andante was composed on January 4, 1917; the third movement, Balalaika, which was also Stravinsky's favorite piece in the set, was composed on February 6, 1917; the fourth one, Napolitana, was composed on February 21, 1917; the fifth one, Galop, was composed on February 28, 1917. After this, he took a break which took him more than expected, and finished the second piece, Española, on April 3, 1917, just one day before shipping all the compositions for publication. All the compositions were published later that same year, and this set was premiered in Paris on February 9, 1918.[2]
Analysis
A typical performance of the compositions lasts approximately five to six minutes. The movement list is as follows:
- Andante
- Española
- Balalaika
- Napolitana
- Galop
As with his other twin set, Three Easy Pieces, these five pieces have been acknowledged by scholar and fellow musicians as Gebrauchsmusik, that is, music that was not initially thought to be performed, but which serves one purpose. In this case, both compositions were meant to be used as educational tools for Stravinsky's children. Here, the primo voice is much easier than the secondo, contrary to Three Easy Pieces, in which the secondo was the easy part.[3]
For this composition, Stravinsky was inspired by the styles of different regions, cultures, and cultural movements. The first movement, Andante, is a homage to Erik Satie, and accordingly, uses a similar style. The second movement, Española, was inspired by Stravinsky's recollections of his visit to Spain on the previous summer. The third movement, Balalaika, presents a strong reminiscence to Stravinsky's Russian roots. The fourth movement, Napolitana, was inspired in his first visit to Italy and tries to imitate the Napolitan style. Some musicians, as fellow pianist Paul Jacobs, have acknowledged an indirect reference (or "misquotation", as Jacobs said) to the popular song "Funiculì, Funiculà".[4] Finally, the fifth movement, Galop, tries to resemble a French Can-can and is based on sketches that were first conceived when composing the Three Easy Pieces.[2]
Arrangements
The first four movements were reworked, arranged for small orchestra, and published as Suite No. 1. However, he decided to leave Galop out and arranged it for small orchestra for Suite No. 2, possibly taking into account when it was first conceived. Suite No. 1 was published in 1921, but was first performed in 1926, whereas Suite No. 2 was published in 1925.[2]
References
- ^ "Igor Stravinsky". Music Sales Classical. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Uncle Dave. "Igor Stravinsky Easy Pieces (5) for piano, 4 hands". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Leonard, James. "Igor Stravinsky Easy Pieces (3) for piano, 4 hands". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Jacobs, Paul (18 June 2008). "Stravinsky: Music for Four Hands. Paul Jacobs & Ursula Oppens (Liner Notes)". Arbiter Records. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
External links
- Five Easy Pieces: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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Discography
musical dramas
- The Nightingale
- Renard
- The Soldier's Tale
- Mavra
- Oedipus rex
- Perséphone
- The Rake's Progress
- The Flood
- The Firebird
- Petrushka
- The Rite of Spring (discography)
- Les noces
- Pulcinella
- Apollo
- The Fairy's Kiss
- Jeu de cartes
- Danses concertantes
- Scènes de ballet
- Orpheus
- Agon
- Symphony in E♭
- Symphony of Psalms
- Symphony in C
- Symphony in Three Movements
- Scherzo fantastique
- Fireworks
- Funeral Song
- Four Études
- The Song of the Nightingale
- Circus Polka
- Ode
- Scherzo à la russe
- Greeting Prelude
- Movements for Piano and Orchestra
- Variations: Aldous Huxley in memoriam
- Canon on a Russian Popular Tune
- Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments
- Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
- Violin Concerto in D
- Concerto in E♭ ("Dumbarton Oaks")
- Ebony Concerto
- Concerto in D
vocal
- Pastorale
- Pribaoutki
- Berceuses du chat
- Abraham and Isaac
- Elegy for J.F.K.
- "The Owl and the Pussy Cat"
- Zvezdoliki
- Ave Maria
- Babel
- Mass
- Cantata
- Canticum Sacrum
- Threni
- A Sermon, a Narrative, and a Prayer
- Requiem Canticles
pianola
- "Tarantella"
- Scherzo
- Piano Sonata in F♯ minor
- Four Études
- "Valse des fleurs"
- Three Easy Pieces
- Five Easy Pieces
- Étude for Pianola
- Piano-Rag-Music
- Les cinq doigts
- Three Movements from Petrushka
- Piano Sonata
- Serenade in A
- Concerto for Two Pianos
- Tango
- Sonata for Two Pianos
- Two Sketches for a Sonata
music
- Three Pieces for String Quartet
- Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet
- Lied ohne Name
- Octet
- Duo Concertant
- Elegy
- Septet
- Epitaphium
- Double Canon (in Memoriam Raoul Dufy)
- Bluebird Pas de Deux (from Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty)
- Monumentum pro Gesualdo
Parents |
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Wives |
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Children | |
Amanuensis |
- 4382 Stravinsky
- Igor Stravinsky (river cruise ship)
- Stravinsky (crater)
- Stravinsky Fountain
- Stravinsky Inlet
- Earnest Andersson
- Ernest Ansermet
- George Balanchine
- Ballets Russes
- Nadia Boulanger
- Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (film)
- Jean Cocteau
- Sergei Diaghilev
- Samuel Dushkin
- Arthur Lourié
- Monday Evening Concerts
- New York City Ballet
- Pierre Monteux
- Neoclassicism
- Petrushka chord
- Psalms chord
- Charles Ferdinand Ramuz
- Werner Reinhart
- Serialism
- Category
- Audio