Three Piano Pieces

1. The Cavalier / Kavaljeren (1900), 2. To Longing / Till trånaden (1913), 3. Spagnuolo (1913). All these piano works have originally appeared in magazines, Kavaljeren in 1900 and the other two in 1913. Kavaljeren is a brisk military march whose spirit reflects the instrumentation of marching bands: piccolo-like figures in the high register are complemented in the left hand by an accompaniment which reminds us of tubas and other bass-register brass instruments. The melody of Till trånaden is melancholy and restricted in range, but the harmonies and the use of tritone interval point to the harmonic style of the fourth symphony (1911) in all its modernism. The piano melody is broken periodically by sighing gestures which dissolve into an atmosphere of expectation. Spagnuolo, though dating from around the same time as the previous piece, shares nothing of its melancholy or harmonic complexity. It is a fiery Spanish dance, a character piece, in which the piano imitates the guitar with an airy melody and uncomplicated accompanimental figure in the left hand.