A collection of character pieces demonstrating the maturity of composer Marmontel in the 1870s. The three pieces included in this work are not merely written according to basic fingerings or repetitive patterns; rather, they are the result of intellectual creation, featuring intertwining voices like ivy and carefully chosen harmonic progressions. The meticulously notated fingerings are intended to guide the fingers through the complexity of the writing. Consequently, while these pieces are by no means easy to play, they are positioned as important works demonstrating Marmontel's mastery, particularly in their unique stylistic sophistication, which is conscious of polyphonic writing.

No. 1: Lament – Song, E minor

Dedication: Mes élèves Mesdemoiselles Henriette LEMARECHAL et Marie CRESSENT  "Lament" refers to a song of sorrow or mourning. The subtitle "Song" is indicated in German as “(Lieder, Song Collection),” but it does not contain multiple pieces. Since Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words" is written in German as “Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without text),” Marmontel composed "Lament" with the genre of "Songs Without Words" in mind.

The piece consists of three parts.  

 A and B each have their own distinct themes, and in the Coda, motifs from both A and B themes are integrated (measures 37-40). The mournful tone of the piece is expressed through the slow movement in E minor, the frequent use of chromatic non-harmonic tones, and the sigh-like descending chromatic scale seen in B.

No. 2: The Oarswoman, G minor

Dedication: mes élèves Mesdemoiselles Sarah CUMMIG et Olga LEPRÊTRE

A barcarolle. This genre originates from the songs of gondoliers in Venice, the city of water. In piano music, many barcarolles have been written in G minor since Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words. Marmontel himself had previously composed Venice – Barcarolle, Op. 51, in G minor.  

The piece consists of three parts and a coda.  

 In A, similar to No. 1 "Lament," the right hand consists of multiple voices, and in measures 7 and 15, for example, the lower voice carries the melody, making it important to ensure it is clearly heard. In the transitional section just before the return from B to A', a chromatic harmonic progression aiming for a rhetorical effect, without anticipating the final destination, can be observed (measures 31-34). This evokes an image of a boat disappearing into the "murmuring" sound of waves, amidst a misty water surface and the aimless reverie of the gondolier.

No. 3: Little Scherzo, F major

Dedication: Mes élèves Madame C. TEXIER et à Mademoiselle C. VINCENS

In sonatas, a scherzo refers to a triple-meter movement replacing the minuet, but in the 19th century, many duple-meter scherzos were also written as character pieces.

This piece is a small scherzo in 2/4 time, and despite being "small," it also features the development of its main motif. The piece is written in a rondo-like form, where the main theme (A) alternates with developmental transitional sections, as shown in the following table.

  While the overall key is F major, the colored section C is presented in A-flat major, a minor third above. In the developmental transitional sections, the opening motif is fragmented and developed in both the right and left hands. Such techniques would have been familiar to Marmontel, who had already composed two sonatas (Op. 8, 86).

The main theme at the beginning is characterized by crisp staccato and trills. This motif reappears many times in varied forms, but to maintain a constant dance-like feel, it is important to ensure the rhythm does not become loose and that the 32nd notes are not accented.