Works for Piano

by Emmanuel Chabrier

More than anyone else of his century, Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–94) restored to French music the essential French traits of clarity, emotional vitality, wit, and tenderness, at the time when the music of the 1900s was struggling under a Wagnerian hangover on the one hand and academic dryness on the other. So profound was Chabrier's talent that Ravel especially named him as the composer who had influenced him more than any other. Debussy was entranced by his music, and even Stravinsky quotes from Chabrier's work.
Recent years have brought a greatly revived appreciation of the composer's oeuvre, bringing his music to the attention of new audiences. This compilation includes solo piano pieces by this French master, a number of them long Impromptu (1873), Valse (1878), Ronde champêtre (1870s), 10 Pièces pittoresques (1880), Aubade (1883), Habanera (1885), Joyeuse marche (1888), Ballabile, Caprice and Feuillet d'album (1880s), and Bourrée fantasque (1891).
Accompanying these reprints of authoritative French editions are illuminating notes on the music, the composer, the sources of this updated edition, and a detailed analysis of variants in the music.

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 1995

Reviews

[Ronan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure trove! Ravel adored Chabrier, and you can see why. There is a rediscovery of the 18th century harpsichord composers very evident in these works, a gallic wit and objectivity in the best of them, and a piano style that owes more to Chabrier's huge personality than it does to the romantic tradition.

Certainly, there are some salon pieces, but even the slightest to them is beguiling.