The Tcherepnin Bagatelles

A “Bagatelle” is a short, sketch-like piece—often written for piano. It was Mrs. Edwin (Katherine) Jones who first taught me these pieces during my junior-high-school years (1963-1965). I have vivid memories of my music lessons and recitals in Mrs. Jones’ living room that barely held two enormous, old and well-used, 9′ Steinway concert-grand pianos.

The Tcherepnin Bagatelles were composed by the young Alexander before he left Russia after the 1918 Russian Revolution. Evidence suggests that he had already composed the Opus 5 “Bagatelles” and that the musical manuscript was in his suitcase when he left Russia in 1919. These pieces are well-known to piano students of several generations. The publisher of my copy of the “Bagatelles” (Leeds Music Corporation, c. 1953) quoted the French musicologist: André Petiot, who said: “Tcherepnin’s name belongs to the famous ones in contemporary music. Together with Stravinsky, Prokofieff, and the “Group of Five” he continues the great line of musicians who, since Glinka, each following his own inspiration, have made the Russian school of music one of the most interesting ever known…”

I hope you enjoy my performances of six of the ten Bagatelles. Each of the pieces is played in the order of it’s occurrence in Tcherepnin’s manuscript.