Humoresques de concert op. 14

The Humoresques de concert Op. 14 consist of two books, À l’antique and Moderne, each containing three works. The cycle is dated to the years 1885-1887. The earliest piece in Op. 14 is No. 5, the Intermezzo polacco. This work is in three sections and refers in its character to the mazurka. The next work from the set to be written was No. 1, the Minuet. Couched in Mozartian style, this work was intended as a musical joke for Dr T. Chałubiński and A. Świętochowski, admirers of the Austrian composer. A few days after writing the Minuet, Paderewski composed the Cracovienne fantastique, one of the most popular work from the set. It is regarded as Paderewski’s finest krakowiak.

The Sarabande, Caprice and probably Burlesque were written in 1887.The texture of Sarabande, a work which the composer desribed as „thoroughly bachian”, imitates polyphony. The Caprice, based on a single theme, which is subjected to motivic-rhythmic and harmonic changes, refers to the style of Domenico Scarlatti, through its symetrical design, numerous figurations and ornamentation. The Burlesque, light and airy in its melodic layer, is characterised by its specific rhythms, ornamentation and dissonant second chord-elements attesting to this work’s „modernity”.