Esquisses (Sketches), Op. 63, is a set of 49 short piano pieces by French composer Charles-Valentin Alkan and published in 1861. The pieces are divided into four books; the first pair of books and the last pair each comprise between them pieces in each of all the major and minor keys. Book 4 ends with an extra, unnumbered, piece, Laus Deo, in C major. Four pianists have recorded the set in its entirety: Laurent Martin, Osamu Nakamura (now Osamu Kanazawa), Steven Osborne, and Yui Morishita (twice).
Unlike many other of Alkan's pieces, such as the Op. 33 Grand Sonate and the Op. 39 set of etudes in all the minor keys, these 49 pieces do not focus mainly on virtuosity and transcendentalism and instead contain more of Alkan's sentimental and evocative writing. Alkan's innovation is also vividly present in the pieces. The 45th piece, Les Diablotins, features wrenched cluster chords and the 48th piece, En Songe, is a dreamy and quiet piece all except for the very final chord, which is a sudden F major chord with the dynamic ff. The 39th piece, Héraclite et Démocrite, features two sharply contrasting themes for the respective philosophers, and at some passages Alkan overlaps the themes to create a solemn and sad theme in the left hand and a bouncy and joyous theme in the right.
The Esquisses Book 1 La Vision in C major Le Staccatissimo in F minor Le Legatissimo in D major Les Cloches in G minor Les Initiés in E major (features a quote from Aristophanes' The Frogs instead of a title in some editions) Fuguette in A minor Le Frisson in F major Pseudo-Naïveté in B minor Confidence in A major Increpatio in C minor Les Soupirs in B major Barcarollette in E minor Book 2 Ressouvenir in C minor Duettino in F major Tutti de Concerto dans le genre ancien in D minor Fantasie in G major Petit prélude à trois in E minor Liedchen in A major Grâces in F minor Petit marche villageoise in B major Morituri te salutant in G minor Innocenzia in D major L'homme aux sabots in B minor Contredanse in E major Book 3 La poursuite in C major Petit air, Genre ancien in G minor Rigaudon in D major Inflexibilité (also known as Rigidité) in A minor Délire in E major Petit air dolent in B minor Début de quatuor in F major Minuetto in C minor "Fais dodo" in A major Odi profanum vulgus et arceo, Favete linguis in E minor Musique militaire in B major Toccatina in F minor Book 4 Scherzettino in C minor "Le ciel vous soit toujours prospére" (also known as Les bons souhaits) in G major Héraclite et Démocrite in D minor "Attendez-moi sous l'orme" in A major Les enharmoniques in E minor Petit air à 5 voix in B major Notturino-Innamorato in F minor Transports in C major Les diablotins in G minor Le premiere billet doux in E major Scherzetto in B minor En songe in F major Laus Deo in C major
See also List of compositions by Charles-Valentin Alkan Music written in all 24 major and minor keys
External links
Playlist of all 49 Esquisses, played by Yui Morishita: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-NTwJ11LiqObHF4lxeyQ7dwmEeeoIBzG