Humoresque

Arranged for viola and piano by Elias Goldstein, performed by Elias Goldstein (viola) and Monica Pavel (piano)

From Tchaikovsky's Morceaux (1871), performed by the United States Navy Band Symphony Orchestra in 1955

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Humoresque (or Humoreske) is a genre of Romantic music characterized by pieces with fanciful humor in the sense of mood rather than wit.^[1]

History

The name refers to the German term Humoreske, which was given from the 1800s (decade) onward to humorous tales.^[2] Many humoresques can be compared to a gigue in their dance-like qualities, and many were used as dance music from the 1700s onwards.

Notable examples

Notable examples of the humoresque style are:

Schumann's Humoreske in B-flat major (Op. 20, 1839)
Noel Rawsthorne's Hornpipe Humoresque (for organ, based on the Sailor's Hornpipe and including parts of "Rule Britannia" and the Widor Toccata)
Dvořák's set of eight Humoresques (Op. 101, 1894), of which No. 7 in G-flat major is well known.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Randel, Don Michael (1999). The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00978-9.
^ R. Grimm. "Begriff und Gattung Humoreske". Jahrbuch der Jean Paul Gesellschaft, 1968.

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[harvard-1] Randel, Don Michael (1999). The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00978-9.

[2] R. Grimm. "Begriff und Gattung Humoreske". Jahrbuch der Jean Paul Gesellschaft, 1968.

[1]

[2]

History

Notable examples

See also

References