Miloslav Kabelác

Little Suite on. 42

Miloslav Kabelác (1908-1979), one of the most important Czech composers of the 20th century, repeatedly devoted himself to works for children and young people. He wrote a series of vocal and piano pieces for them, which gave him great pleasure. As a small relief from the work on his Fifth Symphony ("Drammatica") op. 41, he composed the five-movement "Little Suite" for piano four hands op. 42 and completed it in 1960.

In contrast to Kabelác's "Easy Preludes" for piano beginners op. 26, the four-handed "Little Suite" requires somewhat advanced players. Karel Šrom, a great connoisseur of Kabelác's oeuvre, wrote about the approximately 10-minute work: "...Kabelác has created an interesting, amusing and valuable work that will delight players and listeners alike. Kabelác's expression here is extremely clear, airy, not overloaded in any component, yet imaginative in all of them. ...The formal and atmospheric balance of the whole is ideal (of the five movements, the odd ones are fast, the even ones slow). The suite is simply a delightful miniature by a true master."

The printed edition was published in 1962 by the pianist and wife of the composer, Berta Kabelácová-Rixová, and now appears here in a new edition (2024).