Pièces pittoresques
Ten character pieces for solo piano, composed while on a convalescent holiday at Saint-Pair in 1880 and published 1881. The set marks the emergence of Chabrier's fully individual voice — harmonically audacious, tonally colourful, and bursting with wit and personality. César Franck reportedly wept with joy at the Idylle on hearing it performed; Brahms commented that more was packed into them than in many a symphony. Ravel and Debussy both cited the Pièces as a decisive liberating influence on their harmonic thinking. Chabrier later orchestrated four of the ten as the Suite pastorale (Idylle, Danse villageoise, Sous-bois, Scherzo-valse), confirming their status as fully realised concert works. The individual pieces range from lyrical pastoral miniatures to the propulsive excitement of the Tourbillon and the virtuosic swagger of the closing Scherzo-valse.
Works in this Collection (10)
- Paysage No. 1 Key D♭ major Difficulty
- Mélancolie No. 2 Key G major Difficulty
- Tourbillon No. 3 Key D major Difficulty
- Sous-bois No. 4 Key C major Difficulty
- Mauresque No. 5 Key A minor Difficulty
- Idylle No. 6 Key E major Difficulty
- Danse villageoise No. 7 Key A minor Difficulty
- Improvisation No. 8 Key B♭ major Difficulty
- Menuet pompeux No. 9 Key G minor Difficulty
- Scherzo-valse No. 10 Key D major Difficulty