Bagatelle

What it means

A bagatelle is a short character piece, usually for piano. The name means “trifle” and points to the small extent, not necessarily to a small claim: many bagatelles are terse but densely worked, and some belong to the most demanding of their kind. There is no fixed form; two- or three-part layouts are widespread, often with a clearly set-off middle section. Bagatelles frequently appear in collections that assemble a series of different characters.

Musical use

The genre belongs to piano music since the late eighteenth century and stands at the beginning of the tradition of short character pieces continued in the nineteenth century under many names — impromptu, intermezzo, moment musical, humoresque. The charm lies in the compression: a single idea is presented, turned and rounded off in a few bars, without a development apparatus. In the twentieth century the title is taken up for collections in which each piece treats a single musical problem. Against the sonatina, which miniaturises a multi-movement plan, the bagatelle is single-movement and formally free.

Performance practice

Take the brevity seriously: there is no time for gradually settling in, the character must stand from the first bar. Work out the one carrying idea and shape everything else in relation to it. Practise the transitions to the middle section especially carefully, because they must work in a tight space. Watch for exact articulation and pedalling; in short pieces every blur stands out. With collections plan the order and the pauses between the pieces, so that the characters stand out from one another.

Check also whether the piece is part of a collection and what role it plays in it: some bagatelles come alive only in connection with their neighbours, because they prepare or resolve a contrast. Watch the close, which in short pieces often turns out surprisingly terse and must not be lengthened. Keep tempo changes within the piece slight, unless they are prescribed. When practising it is worth playing the piece several times in succession, to gain a feeling for its extent.