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Giacinto Scelsi
Works List
The following list of compositions of Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988) was taken in part from a Musike-Konzepte article by Rainer Rehn, with corrections and additions by myself. It might easily be incomplete, or inaccurate in places where I have no direct experience. Obviously, certain pieces in numerical sequences are absent (ex. Suite No. 1) – whether they are destroyed (which some early pieces certainly were) or simply not listed is unknown.
First Period (1929-1948)
- Chemin du coeur (for violin and piano) - 1929
- Rotative (Symphonic poem for three pianos, winds and percussion) - 1929
(version for 2 pianos and percussion) - 1938
- 40 Preludes (for piano) - 1930-40
- 6 Pieces from "Paralipomeni" (for piano) 1930-40
- Dialogo (for cello and piano) - 1932
- Sinfonietta (for orchestra) - 1932
- Tre canti di primavera (for voice and piano) - 1933
- L'amour et le crane (for voice and piano) - 1933
- Tre canti (for voice and piano) - 1933
- Suite No. 2 (for piano) - 1934
- Toccata (for piano) - 1934
- Poems (for piano) - 1934/39*
- Sonata (for violin and piano) - 1934
- Concertino (for piano and orchestra) - 1934
- Trio No. 1 (for violin, cello and piano) - 1936
- Preludio, Ariosa e Fuga (for orchestra) - 1936
- Suite No. 5 (for piano) - unknown
- Suite No. 6 "I Capricci di Ty" (for piano) - 1938/39
- Hispania (Triptych for piano) - 1939
- Sonata No. 1 (for piano) - unknown
- Sonata No. 2 (for piano) - 1939
- Sonata No. 3 (for piano) - 1939
- Sonata No. 4 (for piano) - unknown
- Trio No. 2 (for violin, cello and piano) - 1939
- Variations (for piano) - 1940
- Variations and Fugue (for piano) - 1941
- Ballata (for cello and piano) - 1943
- String Quartet No. 1 - 1944*
(version for string orchestra) - 1962
- Introduction and Fugue (for string orchestra) - 1945
- La Nascita del Verbo (Cantata for mixed chorus and orchestra) - 1948
Second Period (1952-1959)
- Suite No. 8 "Bot-Ba: Evocation of Tibet with its monasteries on high mountain summits: Tibetan rituals, prayers and dances" (for piano) - 1952*
- Quattro Illustrazioni "Four illustrations of the metamorphoses of Vishnu" (for piano) - 1953*
- Cinque incantesimi (for piano) - 1953*
- Suite No. 9 "Ttai: A succession of episodes which alternatively express time - or more precisely, time in motion and man as symbolized by cathedrals or monasteries, with the sound of the sacred 'Om'" (for piano) - 1953*
- Piccola suite (for flute and clarinet) - 1953
- Suite No. 10 "Ka: The word 'ka' has many meanings, but the principle one is 'essence'" (for piano) - 1954*
- Pwyll (for flute) - 1954*
- Three studies (for Eb clarinet) - 1954
- Preghiera per un ombra (for Bb clarinet) - 1954
- Divertimento No. 2 (for violin) - 1954
- Yamaon (for bass voice and alto sax, baritone sax, contrabassoon, double bass, percussion) - 1954-58
- Action Music (for piano) - 1955
- Divertimento No. 3 (for violin) - 1955*
- Divertimento No. 4 (for violin) - 1955
- Coelocanth (for viola) - 1955*
- Hyxos (for alto flute in G, 2 gongs and cow-bell) - 1955
- Suite No. 11 (for piano) - 1956
- Four Pieces (for trumpet) - 1956*
- Three Pieces (for saxophone or bass trombone) - 1956*
- Four Pieces (for horn in F) - 1956
- Ixor (for reed; Bb clarinet, oboe) - 1956*
- Divertimento No. 5 (for violin) - 1956
- Three Studies (for viola) - 1956
- Three Pieces (for trombone) - 1957*
- Trilogy "Triphon, Dithome, Ygghur" (for cello) - 1957-61/65*
- Rucke di guck (for piccolo and oboe) - 1957
- String Trio - 1958*
- I presagi [The Forebodings] (for 10 instruments, brass and percussion) - 1958
- Tre canti popolari (for 4-voice mixed choir) - 1958
- Tre canti sacri (for 8-voice mixed choir) - 1958*
- Kya (for Bb clarinet solo, and seven instruments) - 1959*
- Quattro pezzi su una nota sola [Four pieces each on a single note] (for chamber orchestra) - 1959*
Third Period (1960-1969)
- Ho "Four Songs" (for soprano voice) - 1960
- Wo-Ma (for bass voice) - 1960
- Hurqualia "A Different Realm" (for large orchestra, with amplified instruments) - 1960*
- String Quartet No. 2 - 1961*
- Aion "Four Episodes in one Day of Brahma" (for orchestra) - 1961*
- Taiagaru "Five Invocations" (for soprano voice) - 1962
- Riti "Ritual March" (version for Achilles, for four percussionists) - 1962
(version for Alexander, for tuba, double bass, contrabassoon, electric organ & percussion) - 1962
(version for Carl the Great, for cello and 2 percussionists) - 1967
- Khoom "Seven episodes of an unwritten tale of love and death in a distant land" (for soprano voice, horn, string quartet & percussion) - 1962*
- 20 Canti del Capricorno (for soprano) - 1962-72*
- String Quartet No. 3 - 1963*
- Hymnos (for large orchestra) - 1963*
- Chukrum (for string orchestra) - 1963*
- Xnoybis "The ability of energy to ascend to the spirit" (for violin) - 1964*
- String Quartet No. 4 - 1964*
- Yliam (for female choir) - 1964
- Duo (for violin and cello) - 1965*
(version for violin and double bass) - 1977
- Anahit "Lyric Poem on the name of Venus" (for violin and 18 instruments) - 1965*
- Anagamin "The one who is faced with a choice between going back and refusing to" (for 12 strings) - 1965
- Ko-Lho (for flute and clarinet) - 1966*
- Elegia per Ty (for viola and cello) - 1958/66*
- Ohoi "The Creative Principles" (for 16 strings) - 1966
- Uaxuctum "The Legend of the Maya City which destroyed itself for religious reasons" (for 4 vocal soloists, ondes martenot solo, mixed choir and orchestra) - 1966*
- Ko-Tha "Three Dances of Shiva" (for guitar) - 1967
(version for double bass) - 1972
(version for six-string cello) - 1978*
- Manto I, II, III (for viola and female voice) - 1967
- Ckckc (for soprano voice and mandolin) - 1967
- Natura renovatur (for 11 strings) - 1967
- Tkrdg (for 6-voice male choir, electric guitar and percussion) - 1968
- Okanagon "Okanagon is like a rite, or if you will, like grasping the heartbeat of the Earth" (for harp, tamtam & double bass) - 1968*
- Konx-Om-Pax "Three aspects of sound: as the first motion of the immovable, as creative force, as the syllable 'om'" (for mixed choir, and orchestra) - 1969*
Fourth Period (1970-1985)
- Il est grand temps (for voice) - 1970
- Meme si je voyais (for voice) - 1970
- Three Latin Prayers (for voice) - 1970*
- Antifona "on the name of Jesus" (for male choir) - 1970*
- Nuits (2 pieces; for double bass) - 1972*
- Pranam I "In memory of the tragic losses of Jani and Sia Christou" (for soprano voice, 12 instruments & tape) - 1972
- L'ame ailee (for violin) - 1973*
- L'ame ouverte (for violin) - 1973*
- Arc-en-ciel (for two violins) - 1973*
- Sauh I & II (for two female voices) - 1973
- Sauh III & IV (for four female voices) - 1973
- Pranam II (for nine instruments) - 1973*
- Voyages (2 pieces; for cello) - 1974*
- Et maintenant c'est a vous de jouer (for cello and double bass) - 1974
- Kshara (for two doubles basses) - unknown
- To the master "Two improvisations" (for cello and piano) - 1974
- Manto "per quattro" (for voice, flute, trombone and cello) - 1974
- In Nomine Lucis (2 pieces; for electric organ) - 1974*
- Aitsi (for electronically prepared piano) - 1974*
(version as String Quartet No. 5) - 1985*
- Pfhat "A flash… and the sky opened!" (for mixed choir and large orchestra) - 1974*
- Maknongan (for low-voice instrument: double bass, contrabassoon, etc) - 1976*
I have translated sub-titles in quotes, and a few titles in brackets. A asterisk (*) indicates that the piece has appeared on recording in the U.S.; as can be seen, roughly half of Scelsi's output has been recorded.
Edited from materials originally posted to the Internet in 1992 by Todd McComb
Copyright © 1992-2000, Todd Michel McComb.