Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano

Composition by Krzysztof Penderecki

Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano is an early work by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. It was finished in 1956,[1] but was premiered four years later.

## Composition and premiere

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The Three Miniatures were composed when Penderecki was only 23 and still a music student. They were dedicated to Władysław Kosieradzki, who was the clarinet professor at the Academy of Music in Kraków,[2] and were premiered by the dedicatée at the clarinet and Zbigniew Jeżewski at the piano in the 1958 Polish Composers' Union concert, which took place in November 17.[3] The score was published afterwards by the Polish Music Publishing House and Belwin-Mills.

## Analysis

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This composition consists of three short miniatures which take 1 to 1:30 minutes each to perform. The general mood and style of the work differs from the following works and shows no signs of Penderecki's later radicalism,[4] in the sense that these miniatures are not focused on the sonority of the instruments to generate atmospheres, probably influenced by Béla Bartók.[5] The miniatures were titled as follows:[6]

1. Allegro
2. Andante cantabile
3. Allegro ma non troppo

The two outer movements of this composition are active and fast, while the middle one is slower and more meditative.

## Reception

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The Miniatures were negatively received by critics.[3] Vincent McDermott, from The Musical Quarterly, described the whole set of miniatures as "dull".[7] However, the miniatures were some of the few early compositions accepted for publication.[4]

## Notable recordings

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Following are some of the most well-known recordings of this piece:

Clarinet  | Piano  | Record Company  | Year of Recording  | Format

|
|
|
|

Lev Mikhailov | Alexei Lubimov | Melodiya | 1970  | LP[3]
Kjell-Inge Stevensson | Eva Knardahl | BIS Records | 1976  | CD[3][8]
Brian Schweickhart | John Cobb | Coronet Records | 1981  | LP[3]
Claude Faucomprez | Alain Raës | Solstice Records | 1983  | LP[3]
Walter Boeykens | Robert Groslot | Terpsichore Records | 1983  | LP[3]
Melvin Warner | Sylvia Reynolds | Crystal Records | 1985  | LP and CD[3][9]
Joaquín Valdepeñas | Patricia Parr | CBC Records | 1987  | CD[3]
Sabine Meyer | Alfons Kontarsky | EMI | 1989  | LP[3][10]
Aleksander Romański | Szábolcs Esztényi | WERGO | 1993  | CD[3][11]
Michel Lethiec | Juhani Lagerspetz | Naxos | 2001  | CD[3][12]

## References

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1. ^ "3 miniature".
2. ^ "Blue" Gene Tyranny. "Krzysztof Penderecki Miniatures (3) for clarinet & piano". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bylander, Cindy (2004). Krzysztof Penderecki : a bio-bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 0-313-25658-6.
4. ^ a b "Three Miniatures for clarinet and piano". Nadorowy Instytut Audiowizualny. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
5. ^ Whitehouse, Richard. "About this Recording 8.557052 – PENDERECKI: Sextet / Clarinet Quartet / Cello Divertimento". Naxos Digital Services. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
6. ^ "Three Miniatures composer: Krzysztof Penderecki". Schott Music. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
7. ^ McDermott, Vincent (1968). "Milwaukee". Musical Quarterly. 54 (4): 524. doi:10.1093/mq/LIV.4.524.
8. ^ "The Virtuoso Clarinet". BIS Records AB. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
9. ^ "CD332: Clarinet Candescence. Melvin Warner, Clarinet". Crystal Records. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
10. ^ "MEYER, SABINE 20th Century Classics: Penderecki". Warner Classics. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
11. ^ "Musica da camera". WERGO. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
12. ^ "PENDERECKI: Sextet / Clarinet Quartet / Cello Divertimento". Naxos Digital Services. Retrieved 23 February 2014.

* v
* t
* e

Krzysztof Penderecki

List of compositions

Opera|

* The Devils of Loudun
* Paradise Lost
* Die schwarze Maske
* Ubu Rex

Symphonies|

* No. 1
* No. 2 "Christmas"
* No. 3
* No. 7 "Seven Gates of Jerusalem"
* No. 8 "Lieder der Vergänglichkeit"

Orchestral|

* Emanations
* Anaklasis
* Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima
* Polymorphia
* De Natura Sonoris
* The Dream of Jacob

Concertante|

* Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra
* Cello Concerto No. 1
* Fonogrammi (flute)
* Partita (harpsichord)

Vocal/Choral|

* St Luke Passion
* Utrenja
* Canticum Canticorum Salomonis
* Magnificat
* Polish Requiem
* Credo
* Lacrimosa No. 2

Chamber|

* Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano
* Clarinet Quartet
* Sextet

Instrumental|

* Suite (cello)
* Prelude for Clarinet

Collaborations|

* Requiem of Reconciliation (Agnus Dei only)

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