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[...]Good game! I never realized how rare it is for a piece to start with a single note.
On the contrary; I'm finding many pieces that begin with a single note....
I'd say it's relatively rare -- especially when we're quizzed with a particular note that has approximately zero pieces that start with it!
Well, "relatively rare" is relative, isn't it? I found 45 examples by looking at one "set" or "genre" each of the works of only four composers whose music was sitting on my piano. I didn't even have to go searching.
(Hey, has anyone seen a copy of the score lately....)
Not lately; I had to put it aside until I have further developed my technique to make studying this piece a fruitful endeavour with a possibly positive outcome.
Which reminds me : At my last lesson I asked my teacher what she thought of my working on a piece that she had recommended but about which I had doubts that I could ever master to a somewhat professional degree. She indicated that she wouldn't have suggested the piece if she weren't totally confident that I couldn't handle it well.
Of course, I wasn't talking about Kreisler's piece, and her answer might have been different had that been the subject of the discussion.
EDIT: Just found it in BruceD's list. Schubert, op.90/2.
That will work, although that is not the piece I was thinking of. If I tell my selection, it will give away a large number of the pieces I was thinking of (hint! hint!)
EDIT: Just found it in BruceD's list. Schubert, op.90/2.
That will work, although that is not the piece I was thinking of. If I tell my selection, it will give away a large number of the pieces I was thinking of (hint! hint!)
Well, folks, since the game seems to be over, here is my preliminary list from only five composers (Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Liszt) and not all of their works, either, showing just how common are pieces starting with a single note (apologies if I may have mis-counted an octave in a couple of spots) :
This could go on endlessly, I think, including - 30 Grieg Lyric Pieces - 32 Chopin Mazurkas, - 37 Beethoven sonata movements (maybe I lost count!), and virtually - every Bach fugue (or any other fugue for that matter) ...!
Ab1 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 53, No 1 Ab2 : Chopin : Trois Nouvelles Etudes, No 2 in Ab major - Liszt : Liebestraum No 1 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 38, No 6 Ab4 : Chopin : Trois Nouvelles Etudes, no 3 in Ab major - Chopin : Ecossaise, No 3 A3 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 38, No 4 A#4 : Chopin Nocture in F# major, Op 15, No 2 Bb3 : Rachmaninoff, Prelude in Eb major, Op 23, No 6 Bb5 : Chopin : Nocturne in Eb major, Op 9, No 2 Bb6 : Chopin : Nocturne in Bb minor, Op 9, No 1 - Chopin : Nocturne in Eb major, Op 55, No 2 - Chopin : Prelude in Eb major, Op 28, No 19 - Chopin : Etude in Eb major, Op 10, No 11 - Schubert, Impromptu in Eb major, Op 90, No 2 B2 : Liszt : Liebestraum No 2 B4 : Chopin : Etude in E major, Op 10, No 3 - Chopin : Nocturne in E major, Op 62, No 2 - Chopin : Prelude in E minor, Op 28, No 4 - Chopin : Prelude in B minor, Op 28, No 5 - Trois Nouvelles Etudes, No 1 in F minor B5 : Chopin : Etude in E minor, Op 25, No 5 - Chopin : Ecossaise, No 2 - Liszt : Consolation No 2 in E major C1 : Rachmaninoff : Prelude in C major, Op 32, No 1 C2 : Chopin : Prelude in C major, Op 28, No 1 C4 : Rachmaninoff : Prelude in C minor, Op 23, No 7 - Rachmaninoff : Prelude in Bb minor, Op 32, No 2 - Rachmaninoff : Prelude in F minor, Op 23, No 8 - Rachmaninoff : Etude in A minor, Op 39, No 2 - Chopin : Prelude in F minor, Op 28, No 18 C5 : Chopin: Nocturne in F major, Op 15, No 1 - Chopin : Nocturne in F minor, Op 55, No 1 - Chopin : Etude in F minor, Op 25, No 2 - Chopin : Etude in F major, Op 25, No 3 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 53, No 5 C6 : Chopin : Etude in F major, Op 10, No 8 C#2 : Chopin : Nocturne in C# minor, Op 27, No 1 - Chopin : Nocturne in F# minor, Op 48, No 2 - Chopin : Nocturne in B major, Op 62, No 1 C# 3 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 30, No 6 C#4 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 19, No 5 Db2 : Chopin : Nocturne in Db major, Op 27, No 2 - Chopin : Berceuse, Op 57 - Liszt : Un sospiro - Liszt : Consolation No 3 in D-flat major D2 : Chopin : Prelude in D minor, Op 28, No 24 - Rachmaninoff : Prelude in D major, Op 23, No 4 - Rachmaninoff : Etude in D minor, Op 39, No 8 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 85, No 4 D3 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 30, No 5 D4 : Rachmaninoff : Prelude in G major, Op 32, No 5 - Rachmaninoff : Etude in G minor, Op 33 No 8 (No.5) D5 : Chopin: Nocturne in G minor, Op 15, No 3 - Chopin : Nocturne in G minor, Op 37, No 1 Eb2 : Rachmaninoff : Prelude in Eb minor, Op 23, No 9 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 30, No 1 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 85, No 3 - Liszt : Liebestraum, No 3 Eb4 : Chopin : Etude in Ab major, Op 10, No 10 - Chopin : Tarantella, Op 43 - Chopin : Ballade in Ab major, Op 47 - Rachmaninoff : Etude in Eb minor, Op 39, No 5 Eb5 : Chopin : Etude in Ab major, Op 25, No 1 E2 : Chopin : Nocturne in E minor, Op 72, No 1 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 30, No 3 E3 : Chopin : Etude in A minor, Op 25, No 4 - Chopin : Etude in A minor, Op 25, No 11 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 62, No 5 E4 : Chopin : Prelude in A major, Op 28, No 7 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 38, No 5 F2 : Chopin : Etude in F minor, Op 10, No 9 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 85, No 1 F3 : Rachmaninoff : Prelude in D minor, Op 32, No 7 F5 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 67, No 3 F# 2 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 67, No 2 F#3 : Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 30, No 4 F#4 : Chopin : Nocturne in B major, Op 9, No 3 - Chopin : Ecossaise, No 1 F#5 : Chopin : Prelude in B major, Op 28, No 11 Gb4 : Chopin : Etude in Eb minor, Op 10, No 6 G2 : Chopin : Prelude in G major, Op 28, No 3 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 19, No 6 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 102, No 4 G4 : Chopin : Nocturne in Eb major, KK Ivb Nr. 8 - Chopin : Etude in C major, Op 10, No 7 - Mendelssohn : Song Without Words, Op 67, No 4 G#2 : Chopin : Etude in C# minor, Op 25, No 7 - Liszt : Consolation No 5 in E major G#4 : Liszt : Consolation No 6 in E major G#5 : Rachmaninoff : Prelude in G# minor, Op 32, No 12 G#6 : Chopin, Prelude in C# minor, Op 28, No 10
What about trying to find pieces that END with a single note?
I'm presuming you wrote that more as a joke than as a challenge. Nevertheless :
But first, a caveat : In some cases, there may be argument about that, considering that occasionally a sustained chord is prolonged by adding notes of its intervals. I'm not talking about a final arpeggiated chord but one where individual notes of the tonic chord are written out, in measured time - it still amounts to an arpeggiation of the final chord. They undoubtedly don't count? : i.e. Chopin : Prelude in C major, Op 28, No 1 Scriabin : Prelude in C minor, Op 11, No 20 Scriabin, Prelude for the left hand along, Op 9, No 1
Nevertheless, you still have :
Bach : WTC, Bk I : Prelude in Bb major (XXI) Bach : WTC, Bk I : Prelude in F major (XI) Bach : WTC, Bk I : Prelude in C minor (II) Bach : WTC, Bk II : Prelude in Eb major (VII) Bach : WTC, Bk II : Prelude in Eb minor (VIII) Bach : WTC, Bk II : Prelude in G major (XV) Chopin : Prelude in D minor, Op 28, No 24 Chopin : Etude in E minor, Op 25, No 5 Beethoven : Sonata in D minor, Op 31, No 2 "Tempest" - 3rd movement Grieg : Lyric Pieces,"Walzer" Op 12, No 2 Grieg ; Lyric Pieces, "Melodie" Op 38, No 3 Grieg : Lyric Pieces, "Springtanz" Op 38, No 5 Grieg : Lyric Pieces, "Schmetterling" Op 43, No 1 Grieg : Lyric Pieces, "Sie tanzt" Op 57, No 5 Grieg : Lyric Pieces, "Sylphide" Op 62, No 1 Rachmaninoff : Prelude in D minor, Op 23, No 3 Rachmaninoff : Etude in C major, Op 33, No 2 Rachmaninoff : Etude in Eb minor, Op 33 No 6 (No 3) Rachmaninoff : Etude in Eb minor, Op 39, No 5 Scriabin, Prelude in E minor, Op 11, No 4 Scriabin, Prelude in F# minor, Op 11, No 8 Scriabin, Prelude in C# minor, Op 11, No 10 Debussy : Preludes, Bk I, "Les collines d'Anacapri" Debussy : Preludes, Bk I, "La danse de Puck" ?Debussy : Images, Bk I, Mouvement ?Debussy : Children's Corner, "Jimbo's Lullaby" Debussy : Children's Corner, "Serenade for the Doll" ?Debussy : "La plus que lente" ?Debussy : Images, Bk II, "Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fût"
... for starters; that's all I have time for right now. Your turn ....
