''Esquisses'' (Sketches), Op. 63, is a set of 49 short piano pieces by French composer

Charles-Valentin Alkan Charles-Valentin Alkan (; 30 November 1813 – 29 March 1888) was a French composer and virtuoso pianist. At the height of his fame in the 1830s and 1840s he was, alongside his friends and colleagues Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt, amon ...

and published in 1861. The pieces are divided into four books; the first pair of books and the last pair each comprise between them pieces in each of all the major and minor keys. Book 4 ends with an extra, unnumbered, piece, '' Laus Deo'', in C major. Four pianists have recorded the set in its entirety: Laurent Martin, Osamu Nakamura (now Osamu Kanazawa), Steven Osborne, and Yui Morishita (twice). Unlike many other of Alkan's pieces, such as the Op. 33 Grand Sonate and the Op. 39 set of etudes in all the minor keys, these 49 pieces do not focus mainly on virtuosity and transcendentalism and instead contain more of Alkan's sentimental and evocative writing. Alkan's innovation is also vividly present in the pieces. The 45th piece, ''Les Diablotins'', features wrenched cluster chords and the 48th piece, ''En Songe'', is a dreamy and quiet piece all except for the very final chord, which is a sudden F major chord with the dynamic ''ff''. The 39th piece, '' Héraclite et Démocrite'', features two sharply contrasting themes for the respective philosophers, and at some passages Alkan overlaps the themes to create a solemn and sad theme in the left hand and a bouncy and joyous theme in the right.

The Esquisses

;Book 1 :# ''La Vision'' in C major :# ''Le Staccatissimo'' in F minor :# ''Le Legatissimo'' in D major :# ''Les Cloches'' in G minor :# ''Les Initiés'' in E major (features a quote from

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

' ''

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' (; , often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in Athens, in 405 BC and received first place. The pla ...

'' instead of a title in some editions) :# ''Fuguette'' in A minor :# ''Le Frisson'' in F major :# ''Pseudo-Naïveté'' in B minor :# ''Confidence'' in A major :# ''Increpatio'' in C minor :# ''Les Soupirs'' in B major :# ''Barcarollette'' in E minor ;Book 2 :#

''Ressouvenir'' in C minor

:# ''Duettino'' in F major :# ''Tutti de Concerto dans le genre ancien'' in D minor :# ''Fantasie'' in G major :# ''Petit prélude à trois'' in E minor :# ''Liedchen'' in A major :# ''Grâces'' in F minor :# ''Petit marche villageoise'' in B major :# ''Morituri te salutant'' in G minor :# ''Innocenzia'' in D major :# ''L'homme aux sabots'' in B minor :# ''Contredanse'' in E major ;Book 3 :#

''La poursuite'' in C major

:# ''Petit air, Genre ancien'' in G minor :# ''Rigaudon'' in D major :# ''Inflexibilité'' (also known as ''Rigidité'') in A minor :# ''Délire'' in E major :# ''Petit air dolent'' in B minor :# ''Début de quatuor'' in F major :# ''Minuetto'' in C minor :# ''"Fais dodo"'' in A major :# ''Odi profanum vulgus et arceo, Favete linguis'' in E minor :# ''Musique militaire'' in B major :# ''Toccatina'' in F minor ;Book 4 :#

''Scherzettino'' in C minor

:# ''"Le ciel vous soit toujours prospére"'' (also known as ''Les bons souhaits'') in G major :# ''Héraclite et Démocrite'' in D minor :# ''"Attendez-moi sous l'orme"'' in A major :# ''Les enharmoniques'' in E minor :# ''Petit air à 5 voix'' in B major :# ''Notturino-Innamorato'' in F minor :# ''Transports'' in C major :# ''Les diablotins'' in G minor :# ''Le premiere billet doux'' in E major :# ''Scherzetto'' in B minor :# ''En songe'' in F major :#''Laus Deo'' in C major

External links

* * Playlist of all 49 Esquisses, played by Yui Morishita: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-NTwJ11LiqObHF4lxeyQ7dwmEeeoIBzG {{Portal bar, Classical music, Music 1861 compositions Compositions by Charles-Valentin Alkan Alkan Compositions for solo piano Compositions that use extended techniques

The Esquisses

See also

External links