Forgotten Melodies, Opp. 38, 39 and 40 is a set of three cycles of short pieces for solo piano by the Russian composer Nikolai Medtner. The cycles were produced between 1917 and 1921, while Medtner was living in Moscow; the first and third cycles were published in 1922, and the second in 1923, all by the German publishing house Zimmerman.[1]
Miller writes of the cycles that 'very little, if anything at all, in the way of Russian influences is discernible here; the general atmosphere would appear to be that of classical mythology.'[2] The cycles contain a number of well-known showpieces for the piano, including the Danza Festiva, Op. 38, No. 3, a popular encore amongst pianists.
Cycle I, Op. 38 (1919–22)
Cycle II, Op. 39 (1919–20)
Cycle III, Op. 40 (1919–20)