close
Home > Scriabin, Alexander > Quasi-valse

Scriabin, Alexander : Quasi-valse Op.47

Work Overview

Music ID : 2589
Composition Year:1905 
Publication Year:1905
First Publisher:Belaïev
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:character pieces
Total Playing Time:1 min 30 sec
Copyright:Public Domain

Commentary (2)

Author : Yamamoto, Nao

Last Updated: July 10, 2023
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

This work was composed in Paris in 1905. Scriabin, who traveled to Paris for concerts, premiered his Symphony No. 3, "The Divine Poem," Op. 43, and gave a recital. By this time, he had already begun living with Tatiana Schloezer, his student from the Moscow Conservatory and his mistress, separate from his wife, Vera Isaakovich; he visited the Paris performances with Tatiana. Scherzo, Op. 46, Four Preludes, Op. 48, and Three Pieces, Op. 49 were all written during his stay in Paris. This work, written in ternary form, is composed in the style of a waltz, yet its tonality is already ambiguous from the outset. It employs chords reminiscent of dominant ninths and the mystic chord, and utilizes techniques such as chromatic progression and the horizontal arrangement of notes to sustain the sonority.

Writer: Yamamoto, Nao

Author : Yamamoto, Nao

Last Updated: July 10, 2023
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Performance Tips

The basic motifs that develop throughout the piece are the 'eighth note - dotted half note' and 'eighth note - dotted quarter note' figures, both starting with an anacrusis. Broadly, the piece should be performed by conceiving 8 measures as a single phrase. Furthermore, the right-hand eighth notes beginning on the off-beat of the second beat of measure 19 extend into measure 20. These ascending and descending arpeggios, consisting of chords followed by single notes, are also a frequently employed compositional technique by Scriabin. This execution requires a short crescendo towards the ascent, creating a slight percussive quality. Following this crescendo, the opening theme returns in measure 32, developed in octaves, but gradually diminishes. Perform the theme as if it fades away towards the conclusion.

Writer: Yamamoto, Nao
No videos available currently.  

Sheet Music