what is your favourite short piano piece?

[stevie]

lets say, under around 3 minutes

no meaty sonatas, just preludes, etudes, etc.

its a pretty easy choice for me, scriabin op8no12

[pianistimo]

macdowell's 'the wandering iceberg'  or something like that.  i haven't played it, but it's next on the list.  i heard a great rendition of it at wcu by a student.

[etudes]

can i put feux follets? around 3 mins (a bit longer)
Chopin Etudes op.10 no.1 2 4 5 8 10 12 op.25 no.1 2 6 8 11(a bit too long xcept wunder and Gavrilov)12
Last movement from 2nd and 3rd sonatas Prelude no.16
Liszt transcendental etudes no.1 2 5 Paganini no.4 Concert etude Gnomenreigen
Prokofiev 7th sonata last movement,Diabolique Suggestion
Poulenc Presto
Scriabin op.8 no.12
Schumann Traumerei
Cziffra transcription of Bumblebee
Horowitz Carmen
a lots of Scarlatti
Rachmaninov Prelude op.23 no.2
a lot of brahms solo pieces,some of liadov preludes
already a lots!

[pianistimo]

poulenc presto.  hmm.  i haven't heard that one.  (*listening on amazon right now)

that's very cool.  the presto in B-flat.  it sounds difficult, but fun.

[etudes]

poulenc presto.  hmm.  i haven't heard that one.  (*listening on amazon right now)

that's very cool.  the presto in B-flat.  it sounds difficult, but fun.

it isnt that difficult! but it's very cool piece!

[thalbergmad]

Scholzer - Etude Op1 No2

[pianalex]

many of the beethoven bagatelles
                    schubert moments musicaux
                      chopin preludes, etudes
                     scarlatti sonatas
                       
 some of greig lyric pieces; most of janaceks short pieces are also gems....the list is huge really

[musik_man]

Brahms- Eb Intermezzo op117
Beethoven- Bb Bagatelle op119
Schumann- Child Falling Asleep
                 Traümerei
Chopin- B minor Prelude
Grieg- Elfin Dance
Bartok- Stamping Dance
           Fast Dance
Handel- The Harmonious Blacksmith
Scriabin- Etude op2.1
            Prelude in E minor op11

I'm probably leaving a few off, but I love all of these. 

[arensky]

There are so many I love! I will list composers, that's easier; Chopin Brahms Schumann Debussy Medtner, and the one who might be the master of the short piano piece; Scriabin. Here's a link to one of my favorite recordings of one of my favorite short pieces by him. 

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,14508.msg155387.html#msg155387

[burstroman]

Mozart, Gigue in g major
Bach, 2-part Invention in f major
Rachmaninov, Prelude in e-flat major
Bartok, Allegro Barbaro
Chopin, Etude (Posthumous) f minor

[presto agitato]

Mendelssohn Op 19-2

[pabst]

I'll ignore the 3 minutes limitation and just pour out what comes to mind:

- H. Villa-Lobos - Impressões Seresteiras
- L. Fernandez - Pirilampos
- M. Nobre - Tango
- F. Mignone - Valsa de Esquina n. 5
- C. Guarnieri - Miniature Trio (very short)
- C. Guarnieri - Preludes n.30 and n.49
- E. Krieger - 1st mov. of Sonatina
- Bartok - Querelle, from Trois Burlesques
- Hindemith - Ragtime, from '1922'
- Bach (Siloti) - Prelude for organ in B minor
- Bortkiewicz - Impromptu op.24 n.3
- Scriabin - Allegro appassionato op.4
- Liszt - La lugubre gondola n.2
- Ornstein - Suicide on an Airplane

[kreso]

My faovurites are:

Gluck-Sgambati-Melody
Gluck-Brahms-Gavotta
Haydn-Menuet in F-major
Beethoven-Rubinstein-Turkish march
Schubert-Godowsky-Moment musicaux no.3
Chopin-Studies op.10/12, op.25/12
Scriabin-Studies op.2/1, op.8/11,12 op.42/5
              Prelude op.11/14 e-flat minor
Schumann-Liszt-Widmung
Rimski-Korsakov-Rachmaninov-Bumblee Bee
Rachmaninov-Preludes op.23/2,5 op.32/5,10,12
Mozart-Volodos-Turkish march
Rachmaninov-Volodos-Italian Polka
Horowitz-Carmen variations
Moszkowski-The Sparks
Bartok-Rumanian dance (from 2 Rumanian dances)
Cziffra-Trich-Trach Polka
...

[shasta]

-Rach's Moment Musicaux, Op.16 No.4 (the presto)
-Albeniz-Godowsky Tango
-many of the Chopin-Godowsky etudes
-Lecuona's Preludio en la Noche
-many Joplin rags
-Fats Waller's 12th St. Rag

[presto agitato]

He said YOUR FAVORITE (singular)

[pabst]

hmm i would never limit myself down to "one" favourite

[stevie]

He said YOUR FAVORITE (singular)

i did say that, but people can list various ones.

but its also interesting to try and think of one definitive one.

i didnt pick scriabin's 8/12, it leapt out at me whenever i thought of this question.

 in those few pages, 2 minutes worth of music, it seems to express something infinite, something extreme, and something that couldnt be said better with anything added.

i love the colours horowitz achieved with this piece, the delicacy of tone colour and perfectly calculated yet spontaniously expressed rubato, and in the climatic section - the volcanic power of sonority and thrillingly executed rhythmic nuances that bring the piece to life.

[burstroman]

My "current" favorite ONE piece is Mozart's Gigue in g.

[brewtality]

I can't really chose a favourite.

Rach-Fiorentino: Vocalise
Alyabiev-Liszt : The Nightingale
Weber: Perpetuum Mobile from Sonata 1
Mendelssohn Spring Song
Chopin: Mazurka op 67/3 played by Friedman

Although not a short piece as such, the cadenza from the Rach 1 has so much great music in a short amount of time, I like this played by Fiorentino or Rachmaninoff or Janis.

[stevie]

Alyabiev-Liszt : The Nightingale

  i get the feeling a 'legendary pregnant cat' introduced you to that piece

reminds me, the lark is one of the lovliest short pieces ever written, this is just behind it IMO, but i think the lark is a bit longer

[klavierkonzerte]

liadov prelude in b flat minor op.36 no.2, that pieces kills me it's sooooooo buitiful and i can't stop playing it.

[tucque]

Do you have the sheet for the Liadov?

[cherub_rocker1979]

Scriabin Etude op. 8 no. 3

[Dazzer]

First rach moment musical.

[klavierkonzerte]

Do you have the sheet for the Liadov?

yes

send me your email and i'll send it to you

[I Love Xenakis]

Under 3 minutes?  Uh...... Stockhausen Klavierstucke III

[didi]

3 minutes - impossible!!!
There are too much.

But if you'd have requested 1 minute and not being (technically) difficult at all but, just beautiful:

Scriabin Prelude op.17 no.6

BR // Didi

[musicsdarkangel]

Rachmaninoff op 23 no 7 in c minor

[ryguillian]

Sorabji's “Opus Clavicembalisticum”.

—Ryan

[JCarey]

Sorabji's “Opus Clavicembalisticum”.

—Ryan

You're really asking for it.

I'd say something by Sorabji, but certainly not the OC, for obvious reasons.

[I Love Xenakis]

Sorabji's “Opus Clavicembalisticum”.

—Ryan

Wins the Skepto award for quality response.

[apion]

Sorabji's “Opus Clavicembalisticum”.

—Ryan

How about the complete (24-hour) version of Satie's Vexations ?!

Seriously, though, Satie has a myriad of short piano pieces.

[JCarey]

You're all wrong. John Cage's Organ 2 ASLAP wins, hands down.

But seriously, I love some of Ornstein and Godowsky's short piano works, but can't choose between them!

[dinosaurtales]

Chopin Nocturnes.  Doesn't matter which one.  They are all good.

[etudes]

Chopin Nocturnes.  Doesn't matter which one.  They are all good.

i just think that mostly are longer than 3 mins!!!!!! 

[princessdecadence]

Prelude No.3 - Gershwin

(almost too short a piece)