Nine Short Pieces for Piano

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Nine Short Pieces for Piano is a set of small-scale compositions by Douglas Lilburn. They were written around 1965 and published in 1969, chosen in 1967 with pianist Margaret Nielsen from a folder of similarly brief manuscripts labelled "crotchety at 51". [1] They are about twelve minutes long in total. [2]

These pieces were among the last that Lilburn composed for acoustic instruments; he began to focus on electronic experimentation in 1965. [3] Each piece is constructed from one or two concise motifs. [3] With a harmonic and rhythmic texture drawing from his electronic music, these pieces explore the full extent of the piano's range and dynamics; [1] "looking as modern music should look". They are also notated in an unorthodox manner.

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References

  1. 1 2 Nielsen, Margaret (Summer 1995–1996). "The Piano Music of Douglas Lilburn: Reflections on my On-going Appreciation of a Unique Treasury of Music". Music in New Zealand (31).
  2. "Nine Short Pieces- Douglas Lilburn". SOUNZ. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  3. 1 2 Dando, Ian; Sell, David (1979–1981). "Nine Short Pieces for Piano". Listening Guide.