From: mccomt@marcus.its.rpi.edu (Todd Michel McComb)
Subject: Scelsi: works list
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 19:00:18 GMT


The following list of compositions of Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988) was
taken in part from a Musike-Konzepte article by Rainer Rehn, with corrections
and additions by myself.  It might easily be incomplete, or inaccurate
in places where I have no direct experience.  Obviously, certain pieces
in numerical sequences are absent (ex. Suite No. 1) -- whether they are
destroyed (which some early pieces certainly were) or simply not listed
is unknown.

A. First Period (1929-1948)

Chemin du coeur (for violin and piano) - 1929
Rotative (Symphonic poem for three pianos, winds and percussion) - 1929
         (version for 2 pianos and percussion) - 1938
40 Preludes (for piano) - 1930-40
6 Pieces from "Paralipomeni" (for piano) 1930-40
Dialogo (for cello and piano) - 1932
Sinfonietta (for orchestra) - 1932
Tre canti di primavera (for voice and piano) - 1933
L'amour et le crane (for voice and piano) - 1933
Tre canti (for voice and piano) - 1933
Suite No. 2 (for piano) - 1934
Toccata (for piano) - 1934
Poems (for piano) - 1934/39 ; *
Sonata (for violin and piano) - 1934
Concertino (for piano and orchestra) - 1934
Trio No. 1 (for violin, cello and piano) - 1936
Preludio, Ariosa e Fuga (for orchestra) - 1936
Suite No. 5 (for piano) - unknown
Suite No. 6 "I Capricci di Ty" (for piano) - 1938/39
Hispania (Triptych for piano) - 1939
Sonata No. 1 (for piano) - unknown
Sonata No. 2 (for piano) - 1939
Sonata No. 3 (for piano) - 1939
Sonata No. 4 (for piano) - unknown
Trio No. 2 (for violin, cello and piano) - 1939
Variations (for piano) - 1940
Variations and Fugue (for piano) - 1941
Ballata (for cello and piano) - 1943
String Quartet No. 1 - 1944 ; *
                     (version for string orchestra) - 1962
Introduction and Fugue (for string orchestra) - 1945
La Nascita del Verbo (Cantata for mixed chorus and orchestra) - 1948

B. Second Period (1952-1959)

Suite No. 8 "Bot-Ba: Evocation of Tibet with its monasteries on high
   mountain summits: Tibetan rituals, prayers and dances" (for piano)
   - 1952 ; *
Quattro Illustrazioni "Four illustrations of the metamorphoses of Vishnu"
   (for piano) - 1953 ; *
Cinque incantesimi (for piano) - 1953 ; *
Suite No. 9 "Ttai: A succession of episodes which alternatively express
   time -- or more precisely, time in motion and man as symbolized by
   cathedrals or monasteries, with the sound of the sacred 'Om'"
   (for piano) - 1953 ; *
Piccola suite (for flute and clarinet) - 1953
Suite No. 10 "Ka: The word 'ka' has many meanings, but the principle one
   is 'essence'" (for piano) - 1954 ; *
Pwyll (for flute) - 1954 ; *
Three studies (for Eb clarinet) - 1954
Preghiera per un ombra (for Bb clarinet) - 1954
Divertimento No. 2 (for violin) - 1954
Yamaon (for bass voice and altosax, baritonesax, contrabasoon, double bass,
   percussion) - 1954-58
Action Music (for piano) - 1955
Divertimento No. 3 (for violin) - 1955 ; *
Divertimento No. 4 (for violin) - 1955
Coelocanth (for viola) - 1955 ; *
Hyxos (for alto flute in G, 2 gongs and cow-bell) - 1955
Suite No. 11 (for piano) - 1956
Four Pieces (for trumpet) - 1956 ; *
Three Pieces (for saxophone or bass trombone) - 1956 ; *
Four Pieces (for horn in F) - 1956
Ixor (for reed; Bb clarinet, oboe) - 1956 ; *
Divertimento No. 5 (for violin) - 1956
Three Studies (for viola) - 1956
Three Pieces (for trombone) - 1957 ; *
Trilogy "Triphon, Dithome, Ygghur" (for cello) - 1957-61/65 ; *
Rucke di guck (for piccolo and oboe) - 1957
String Trio - 1958 ; *
I presagi [The Forebodings] (for 10 instruments, brass and percussion) - 1958
Tre canti popolari (for 4-voice mixed choir) - 1958
Tre canti sacri (for 8-voice mixed choir) - 1958 ; *
Kya (for Bb clarinet solo, and seven instruments) - 1959 ; *
Quattro pezzi su una nota sola [Four pieces each on a single note]
   (for chamber orchestra) - 1959 ; *

C. Third Period (1960-1969)

Ho "Four Songs" (for soprano voice) - 1960
Wo-Ma (for bass voice) - 1960
Hurqualia "A Different Realm" (for large orchestra, with amplified
   instruments) - 1960 ; *
String Quartet No. 2 - 1961 ; *
Aion "Four Episodes in one Day of Brahma" (for orchestra) - 1961 ; *
Taiagaru "Five Invocations" (for soprano voice) - 1962
Riti "Ritual March" (version for Achilles, for four percussionists) - 1962
     (version for Alexander, for tuba, double bass, contrabasoon, electric
      organ & percussion) - 1962
     (version for Carl the Great, for cello and 2 percussionists) - 1967
Khoom "Seven episodes of an unwritten tale of love and death in a distant
   land" (for soprano voice, horn, string quartet & percussion) - 1962 ; *
20 Canti del Capricorno (for soprano) - 1962-72 ; *
String Quartet No. 3 - 1963 ; *
Hymnos (for large orchestra) - 1963 ; *
Chukrum (for string orchestra) - 1963 ; *
Xnoybis "The ability of energy to ascend to the spirit" (for violin)
   - 1964 ; *
String Quartet No. 4 - 1964 ; *
Yliam (for female choir) - 1964
Duo (for violin and cello) - 1965 ; *
    (version for violin and double bass) - 1977
Anahit "Lyric Poem on the name of Venus" (for violin and 18 instruments)
   - 1965 ; *
Anagamin "The one who is faced with a choice between going back and
   refusing to" (for 12 strings) - 1965
Ko-Lho (for flute and clarinet) - 1966 ; *
Elegia per Ty (for viola and cello) - 1958/66 ; *
Ohoi "The Creative Principles" (for 16 strings) - 1966
Uaxuctum "The Legend of the Maya City which destroyed itself for religious
   reasons" (for 4 vocal soloists, ondes martenot solo, mixed choir
   and orchestra) - 1966 ; *
Ko-Tha "Three Dances of Shiva" (for guitar) - 1967
       (version for double bass) - 1972
       (version for six-string cello) - 1978 ; *
Manto I, II, III (for viola and female voice) - 1967
Ckckc (for soprano voice and mandolin) - 1967
Natura renovatur (for 11 strings) - 1967
Tkrdg (for 6-voice male choir, electric guitar and percussion) - 1968
Okanagon "Okanagon is like a rite, or if you will, like grasping the
   heartbeat of the Earth" (for harp, tamtam & double bass) - 1968 ; *
Konx-Om-Pax "Three aspects of sound: as the first motion of the immovable,
   as creative force, as the syllable 'om'" (for mixed choir, and orchestra)
   - 1969 ; *

D. Fourth Period (1970-1985)

Il est grand temps (for voice) - 1970 \
Meme si je voyais (for voice) - 1970  /
Three Latin Prayers (for voice) - 1970 ; *
Antifona "on the name of Jesus" (for male choir) - 1970 ; *
Nuits (2 pieces; for double bass) - 1972 ; *
Pranam I "In memory of the tragic losses of Jani and Sia Christou"
   (for soprano voice, 12 instruments & tape) - 1972
L'ame ailee (for violin) - 1973   \ ; *
L'ame ouverte (for violin) - 1973 / ; *
Arc-en-ciel (for two violins) - 1973 ; *
Sauh I & II (for two female voices) - 1973
Sauh III & IV (for four female voices) - 1973
Pranam II (for nine instruments) - 1973 ; *
Voyages (2 pieces; for cello) - 1974 ; *
Et maintenant c'est a vous de jouer (for cello and double bass) - 1974
Kshara (for two doubles basses) - unknown
To the master "Two improvisations" (for cello and piano) - 1974
Manto "per quattro" (for voice, flute, trombone and cello) - 1974
In Nomine Lucis (2 pieces; for electric organ) - 1974 ; *
Aitsi (for electronically prepared piano) - 1974 ; *
      (version as String Quartet No. 5) - 1985 ; *
Pfhat "A flash... and the sky opened!" (for mixed choir and large
   orchestra) - 1974 ; *
Maknongan (for low-voice instrument: double bass, contrabasoon, etc)
   - 1976 ; *

---

I have translated sub-titles in quotes, and a few titles in brackets.
A * indicates that the piece has appeared on recording in this country;
as can be seen, roughly half of Scelsi's output has been recorded.

T. M. McComb

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