Five Pieces Cover Image

Five Pieces: Violin, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano

$13.95 USD
$13.95 USD
Skip to product information
Five Pieces Cover Image
Five Pieces: Violin, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano

Five Pieces: Violin, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano

By Heitor Villa-Lobos

Item: 36-M226491
$13.95
Shipped

One moment…

Description
This collection contains 5 pieces composed for violin and piano around 1915 to 1922: 1. O Canto Do Cisne Negro, W123 (Poema - Ballo Mimico; Song of the Black Swan); 2. Improviso, W096 (No. 7; Melodia); 3. A Lenda Do Caboclo (transcription for violin and piano by Souza Lima); 4. A Mariposa Na Luz (also Le papillon autour de la lumière; No. 3 from O Martírio dos Insetos / The Martyrdom of the Insects, W214); 5. Serenidade (No. 2 from Fantasia de movimentos mistos, W175). Reprinted from various original editions.

Five Pieces: Violin, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Master String Series - LudwigMasters
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-89-563879-4
ISBN13: 979-8-89-563879-8
UPC: 660355121333
SKU: 36-M226491
Instrumentation: Violin and Piano

More about this title

About the Composer: Heitor Villa-Lobos

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887, 1959) stands as Brazil's most significant classical composer, a figure who synthesized European formal training with the rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic language of Brazilian folk tradition. Working across symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and solo works, Villa-Lobos created a vast catalog that introduced international audiences to the musical identity of Brazil. His prolific output and fearless experimentation made him a model for composers seeking to honor their cultural roots while working within the concert tradition.

The pieces in this collection, written during his most productive years (1915, 1922), capture Villa-Lobos at a moment of artistic confidence. Each work demonstrates his gift for lyrical, songlike melody paired with sophisticated harmonic language. For violinists, these works offer a direct path into the sound world of early twentieth-century modernism without the abstraction of European contemporaries, making them essential to understanding music written outside the standard canon.

Why we love this

These five pieces offer violinists a genuinely rewarding alternative to the usual recital fare of this era. Villa-Lobos writes idiomatically for the violin, with melodies that sing and harmonic progressions that feel both fresh and deeply musical. The collection spans contrasting moods and textures, giving you options for a full recital or strategic programming within a larger concert.

What to expect

These five pieces evoke the lyricism and sensory richness of Brazilian landscape and culture, filtered through a refined European musical sensibility. Each work unfolds with a kind of rhapsodic ease, full of singing lines, unexpected harmonic color, and moments of genuine poetry.

Who it's for

Intermediate to advanced violinists seeking meaningful repertoire beyond the standard Romantic solos. This collection suits recitalists, competition participants, and students who want to explore twentieth-century writing that remains deeply musical and approachable.

How to get the most out of it

  • Lean into the lyrical quality of the opening sections. Villa-Lobos often rewards a singing tone over brilliant virtuosity; let the melody breathe naturally across phrases rather than compartmentalizing each measure.
  • Study the piano part as a full musical partner, not accompaniment. The harmonic language lives in the keyboard, and coordinating with your collaborator on harmonic shape will transform the overall sound.
  • Honor the Brazilian inflections in rhythmic phrasing without overdoing them. These pieces sit at the intersection of European form and Brazilian idiom; an exaggerated vernacular style will undermine the sophistication of the writing.

How to use it

Consider opening a recital with the more intimate pieces (Improviso or Serenidade) and building toward the dramatic storytelling of O Canto Do Cisne Negro. The collection also works beautifully as a thematic program exploring early twentieth-century Latin American composition, or paired with other Villa-Lobos works for a deeper dive into a single composer.

Skills your students will build

  • Idiomatic phrasing in early twentieth-century solo writing
  • Harmonic listening and coordination with piano
  • Cantabile tone production across extended passages
  • Navigation of chromatic and modal harmonic language
  • Rhythmic flexibility within structured forms

You May Also Like