''Due capricci'' is a set of two capricci for piano written by Hungarian composer

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

. Both of the capricci were finished in 1947.

Composition

The two pieces were composed when Ligeti was still studying in Sandor Veress's class at the

Franz Liszt Academy of Music The Franz Liszt Academy of Music (, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the Liszt Collection, which features several ...

, this is, as a part of his academic exercises. These represent the beginning of the shedding of

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

's and other Hungarian composer's influence, as he was asked to write it in his own style. Strangely, the second capriccio was composed first, in the spring of 1947, and the second capriccio was composed in November 1947. Both capricci are dedicated to

Márta Kurtág Márta Kurtág (; ''née'' Kinsker; 1 October 1927 − 17 October 2019) was a Hungarian classical pianist and academic piano teacher. She was the wife of György Kurtág, with whom she performed for 60 years, including at international festiva ...

. The set has been published by

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

together with Ligeti's ''

Invention An invention is a unique or novelty (patent), novel machine, device, Method_(patent), method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It m ...

'' for piano, which is put in the middle and which the set is strongly associated with.

Structure

These two short pieces take approximately 2 minutes each to perform. * Capriccio No. 1: Allegretto capriccioso * Capriccio No. 2: Allegro robusto The first capriccio is in a form of a sonatina, with its sections to be played continuously. Widely chromatic and modern, it is a very structured and attractive piece, constructed little motives. The second capriccio is far more abrasive, with a clear influence of Bartók's Allegro barbaro. It consists of irregular Bulgarian Rhythms with shifting accents all along the capriccio.

Composition

Structure

References

See also