Impromptu - Humoresque for Piano

Dvorak Impromptu - Humoresque for Piano

Compositions for solo piano form a significant part of Dvořák's rich chamber music output. The cycles Poetic Moods and the less demanding Silhouettes are particularly popular with performers and listeners, and the Humoresque No. 7 in G flat major from the cycle Humoresques Op. 101 has become a worldwide hit. Many of the piano miniatures were written as occasional pieces. These include the two piano pieces included in this volume.

The Impromptu in D minor was written by Dvořák in early 1883 at the request of his friend Václav Judy Novotný for a musical supplement to the magazine Humoristické listy. After publication, the work fell into obscurity and the autograph was long thought to be lost. The Impromptu in D minor was not published again until 12 years after Dvořák's death by the publisher Simrock, and only then did this inventively fresh and well stylized work arouse interest and enter the repertoire of pianists.

It is not clear when the Humoresque in F sharp major was written. It was published in 1884 in the first volume of the collection Pianoforte by the Prague publisher Velebín Urbánek, but neither the autograph nor this first printed edition is dated. The Humoresque in F sharp major is a rewarding, unpretentious piece, suitable for home music-making but also as a recital miniature for concert performance.