Piano Pieces, Op. 8

Though innovative and well-constructed, these pieces are simpler than Eisler's earlier works and less dependent on the 12-tone system of his teacher, Arnold Schönberg. This edition was prepared by the International Hanns Eisler Society; it is a corrected reprint of the first edition of 1958.

The Piano Pieces Opus 8 by Hanns Eisler (1898-1962) were previously widely thought to have been composed in 1925, the opus number ostensibly placing the work chronologically between the Duo Opus 7 (1924) and the Tagebuch (Diary) Opus 9 (1926). In fact, Eisler had long set aside opus number 8 for a (never completed) string quartet and, as late as 1927, for the song cycle Zeitungsausschnitte (Newspaper Clippings, ultimately opus 11), extending the period in which the eight piano pieces might conceivably have been composed through to 1927. The bitter rift with Arnold Schönberg, occasioned in March 1926 on the latter's learning that Eisler had apparently made disparaging remarks about the new twelve-tone method, did not prevent the lapsed student from engaging with new compositional technique of his "esteemed master". This technique also plays a central role in opus 8: movements 2, 4, 6, and 8 are generally built on strict twelve-tone principles, while the movements with uneven numbers are structured more freely. The work thus balances dedaphonic and non-dodecaphonic sections without - evidently Eisler's message - adversely affecting the composition's unity.

(Peter Deeg, International Eisler Society - Berlin, September 6th, 2012) (Translation: Oliver Dahin)

Publisher:	Peters
Composer/Author:	Eisler, Hanns
Catalog Number:	EP5220A
Pages:	22