Loutky 1-3

Despite the extraordinary significance attributed toBohuslav Martinu's 14 short piano piecesentitled Puppets, surprisingly little is known about the exact time andcircumstances of theircomposition. It is however certain that these are the first works by Martinuwhich transcendedhis initial attempts at composition and they quickly found a publisher. Thanksto their lastingpopularity particularly with young pianists, they were published in numerouseditions.

The pieces take the characters of Italian commedia dell'arte as their theme;Pierrot, Colombineand Harlequin. Also included are dance and ball scenes, as well as scenes fromthe "privatelives" of the puppets. The three editions of Puppets were composed between1912 and1925 in reverse order. The works all differ from one another, beginning withdifferentaesthetic starting points and ending with piano writing which graduallymatures. Nowthe cycle is published for the first time in one volume.