Intimate Sketches (Janáček)


Intimate Sketches is a collection of piano miniatures by Czech composer Leoš Janáček published in 1994, sixty-six years after his death.

The music

The thirteen pieces in the set, each only a minute or two long, were gathered from manuscripts and ephemeral publications, notably the People's News. Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 here are Nos. 3, 5, 12, and 13 respectively in the Album for Kamila Stösslová.
No.CatalogueDateCzech titleEnglish titleGerman title
1.JW VIII/31published 1927Malostranský palác Malá Strana Palace Kleinseiten-Palais
2.JW VIII/29composed c. 1920–1926Bez názvuUntitledOhne Titel
3.JW VIII/26published 1923Melodie Melodie Melodie
4.JW VIII/21published 1911ModeratoModeratoModerato
5.JV VIII/33/3composed 1927Jen slepý osud?Just blind fate?Nur blindes Schicksal?
6.JW VIII/33/5composed 1928Abyse nemohlo jíti nikdy zpětSo you can never returnDamit man nie zurück könnte
7.JW VIII/33/12composed 1928Zlatý kroužekThe golden ringDer goldene Ring
8.JW VIII/33/13composed 1928Čekám Tě!Waiting for you!Ich erwarte Dich!
9.JW IX/1composed 1877RondoRondoRondo
10.JW VIII/9composed c. 1887Na památkuIn memoriamZum Andenken
11.JW V/2/28composed 1896Své OlzeMy OlgaMeiner Olga
12.JW V/14published 1920UkolébavkaLullabyWiegenlied
13.JW VIII/20published 1909Narodil se Kristus pánChrist the Lord is bornGeboren ist Herr Jesu Christ

Recordings

Håkon Austbø plays eleven of the pieces on his Janáček: Piano Works . Thomas Adès plays six of them on his recording of The Diary of One Who Disappeared with Ian Bostridge. Sarah Lavaud has recorded 5 of the pieces on a CD published by Hortus. has recorded all pieces except the 'Rondo' on his 3-CD Janacek compilation.

Related scores

Intimate Sketches was followed by a second volume of twenty-six miniatures called Moravian Dances.