# List of compositions by György Kurtág

This is a list of compositions by György Kurtág.

## Compositions by opus number

| Opus No. | Title | Instrumentation | Year |
| op. 1 | String Quartet No. 1 | | 1959 |
| op. 2 | Wind Quintet | | 1959 |
| op. 3 | Eight Pieces for piano | piano | 1960 |
| op. 4 | Eight Duos | violin and cimbalom | 1961 |
| op. 5 | Jelek | solo viola | 1961 |
| op. 5b | Jelek | solo cello | 1961–1984 |
| op. 6 | Five Merrycate | guitar | 1962 |
| op. 6c | Splinters | cimbalom | 1973 |
| op. 6d | Splinters | piano | 1978 |
| op. 7c | The Sayings of P. Bornemisza | concerto for soprano and piano | 1963–1968 |
| op. 8 | In Memory of a Winter Evening | Four Fragments for soprano, violin, and cimbalom | 1969 |
| op. 9 | Four Capriccios | soprano and chamber ensemble | 1969–1970 |
| op. 10 | 24 Antiphonae | orchestra | 1970–1971 |
| op. 11 | Four Songs to Poems by János Pilinszky | bass voice and ensemble | 1973–1975 |
| op. 12 | S. K. Remembrance Noise, Seven Songs to Poems by Dezső Tandori | soprano and violin | 1974–1975 |
| op. 13 | Hommage à András Mihály | 12 microludes for string quartet | 1977–1978 |
| op. 14 | Herdecker Eurhythmie | flute, violin, recitation, and tenor-lira | 1979 |
| op. 14d | Bagatelles | flute, double-bass, and piano | 1981 |
| op. 14e | Three Pieces | violin and piano | 1979 |
| op. 15b | The Little Predicament | piccolo, trombone, and guitar | 1978 |
| op. 15c | Grabstein für Stephan | guitar and instrumental groups | 1989 |
| op. 15d | Hommage a R. Sch. | clarinet, viola, and piano | 1990 |
| op. 16 | Omaggio a Luigi Nono to poems by Anna Akhmatova and Rimma Dalos | mixed voices | 1979 |
| op. 17 | Messages of the Late R. V. Troussova, words by Rimma Dalos | soprano and chamber ensemble | 1976–1980 |
| op. 18 | Songs of Despair and Sorrow | mixed choir with instruments | 1980–1994 |
| op. 19 | Scenes from a Novel | soprano, violin, double-bass, and cimbalom | 1981–1982 |
| op. 20 | Attila József Fragments | soprano | 1981–1982 |
| op. 21 | Concerto for Piano and Orchestra | | (begun 1980) |
| op. 22 | Seven Songs | soprano and cimbalom | 1981 |
| op. 23 | Eight Choruses to Poems by Dezső Tandori | mixed voices | 1981–1982, 1984 |
| op. 24 | Kafka-Fragmente | soprano and violin | 1985–1986 |
| op. 25 | Three Ancient Inscriptions | voice and piano | 1986 |
| op. 26 | Requiem for a Friend to Poems by Rimma Dalos | soprano and piano | 1986–1987 |
| op. 27/1 | ...quasi una fantasia... | piano and chamber ensemble | 1987–1988 |
| op. 27/2 | Double concerto | piano, violoncello, and two chamber ensembles | 1989–1990 |
| op. 28 | Officium Breve in Memoriam Andreae Szervánszky | string quartet | 1988–1989 |
| op. 29 | Hölderlin: An… (A Fragment) | tenor and piano | 1988–1989 |
| op. 30b | Samuel Beckett: What is the Word | recitation, mixed voices and chamber ensemble | 1990–1991 |
| op. 31b | Ligatura – Message-Hommage à Frances-Marie Uitti (The Answered Unanswered Question) | violoncello with two bows, 2 violins and celesta; or 2 violoncelli, 2 violins and celesta; or 2 organs and celesta | 1989 |
| op. 32 | Lebenslauf | 2 bassett horns and 2 pianos (tuned a quarter tone apart) | 1992 |
| op. 33 | Stele | orchestra | 1994 |
| op. 34 | Messages | orchestra | 1991–1996 |
| op. 34a | New Messages | orchestra | 1998–2008 |
| op. 35a | Hölderlin-Gesänge | baritone | 1993–1997 |
| op. 36 | ...pas à pas – nulle part... (poems by Beckett) | baritone, string trio, and percussion | 1993–1998 |
| op. 37 | Fragments from the Scrapbooks of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg | soprano and instruments | 1996 |
| op. 38 | Three Pieces | clarinet and cimbalom | 1996 |
| op. 38a | Three Other Pieces | clarinet and cimbalom | 1996 |
| op. 39 | Scenes | flute | 1997 |
| op. 40 | Esterházy Péter: Fancsikó és Pinta (Fragments) – Introduction to the Art of Belcanto | voice and piano/celesta | 1999 |
| op. 41 | Songs to Poems by Anna Achmatova | soprano and ensemble | 1997–2008 |
| op. 42 | …concertante… | violin, viola, and orchestra | 2003 |
| op. 43 | Hipartita | violin | 2004 |
| op. 44 | Six Moments Musicaux | string quartet | 2005 |
| op. 45 | Triptic | two violins | 2007 |
| op. 46 | Colindă Baladă | choir and nine instruments | 2007 |
| op. 47 | Brefs messages | nine instruments | 2011 |
| op. 48 | Ligeti évszázada – Kalandozás a múltban | ensemble | 2023 |
| op. 50 | ...elszunnyadni, - semmi több... (Három dal Tandori Dezső verseire) (...to sleep, - no more..., (Songs to poems by Dezső Tandori)) | alto[, violin, piano and percussion / cello] | 2019 |
Notes:
* ↑ revoked, movements published as op. 6c and 6d
* ↑ unfinished, only 1–3 composed
* ↑ unfinished
* ↑ winner of the 2006 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition
Works without opus number:
* Viola Concerto (1954)
* Játékok ("Games") (since 1973, 10 Volumes as of 2021), for piano
* In Memoriam György Zilcz (1975), for 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and tuba
* 13 Pieces for Cimbalom (1982), for 2 cimbaloms
* Games and Messages for winds (since 1984)
* Transcriptions from Machaut to J.S. Bach (1985), for 4-hand and 6-hand piano and 2 pianos
* Pilinszky János: Gérard de Nerval (1986), for violoncello
* 3 In Memoriam (1988–90), for 1-hand, 2-hand and 3-hand piano
* Signs, Games and Messages for solo violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet (since 1989)
* Ligatura E Versetti (1990), for organ
* Aus Der Ferne III (1991), for Alfred Schlee's 90th birthday, for string quartet
* Looking Back: Old and New for Four Players, Hommage à Stockhausen (1993), for trumpet, double-bass and keyboard instruments
* Epilog for Requiem of Reconciliation (1995)
* Miriam Marbé in Memoriam (1999), for three recorders
* Six Pieces for Trombone and Piano (1999)
* Petite musique solennelle – En hommage à Pierre Boulez 90 (2015) for orchestra
* Samuel Beckett: Fin de partie. Scènes et monologues, opéra en un acte (2018), opera

## Compositions by genre
### Solo Instrumental

* Piano
** Suite for four-hand piano (1950–1951)
** Elö-játékok (1973–1974)
** Játékok (Games) for piano, four-hand piano, and two pianos (10 Volumes published, 1973– )
** Szálkák (1973–1978)
** 3 in memoriam (1988–1990)
* Viola da Gamba
** …sospiri, gemiti… (2011)
* Violin
** Hipartita for solo violin (2000–2004)
** 29 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo violin (1989–2004)
* Viola
** 29 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo viola (1998–2005)
* Cello
** 19 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo cello (1987–2008)
* Double Bass
** 4 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo double bass (1999–2000)
* Flute
** 6 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo flute (1992–2005)
* Oboe
** 6 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo oboe (1997–2001)
* Clarinet
** 6 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo clarinet (1984–2001)
* Bassoon
** 3 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo bassoon (1986–2001)
* Guitar
** Cinque Merrycate for solo guitar (1962) (Revoked)
* Organ
** Ligature e versetti for organ (1990)
* Cymbalom
** Szálkák for cimbalom (1973)

### Chamber

* Duets
** 8 duets for violin and cimbalom (1960)
** Tre pezzi for violin and pianoforte (1979)
** 13 Darab két cimbalomra a Játékokból for two cimbalom (1982)
** Panaszos kérlelö for recorder and piano (1988)
** Tre pezzi for clarinet and cimbalom (1996)
** Tre altri pezzifor clarinet and cimbalom (1996)
** Játékok és üzenetek (Games and Messages) for woodwind duo (1998–2000)
** Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for string duo (1978–2003)
** Négy initium az Hommage à Jacob Obrecht-ből for viola and cello (2005)
** Triptic for two violins (2007)
* Trios
** A kis csáva for piccolo, trombone, and guitar (1978)
** Bagatelles for flute, piano and double bass, arrangements from Játékok (1981)
** Hommage à R. Sch. for clarinet (and bass drum), viola, and piano (1990)
** Myriam Marbé in memoriam for three recorders (1999)
** Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for string trio (1989–2005)
* String Quartet
** String quartet (1959)
** Hommage à András Mihály 12 microludes for string quartet (1977–1978)
** Officium breve in memoriam Andreæ Szervánszky for string quartet (1988–1989)
** Aus der ferne III for string quartet (1991)
** Aus der Ferne V for string quartet (1999)
** Hommage à Jacob Obrecht for string quartet (2004–2005)
** 6 Moments Musicaux for string quartet (1999–2005)
** Zwiegespräch for string quartet and electronics (co-written with György Kurtág Jr.) (1999–2006)
* Other Quartets
** Ligatura-Message to Frances-Marie The Answered Unanswered Question, for BACH-bow cello, two violins, and celesta (1989)
** Életút (Lebenslauf) for two pianos (tuned a quarter tone apart) and two basset horns (1992)
** Rückblick De l'ancien et du nouveau pour quatre instrumentistes (trumpet, double bass and keyboards) – Hommage à Stockhausen (1993)
* Quintets
** Wind quintet (1959)
** In memoriam György Zilcz for two trumpets, two trombones, and tuba (1975)
* Other
** Irka-firka születésnapra – Mihály Andrásnak for two violons, two violas, cello, and double bass (1991)
** Játékok és üzenetek (Games and Messages) for winds, strings, and keyboard (1992–2000)

### Ensemble/orchestral

* 24 Antiphonae (1970–1971, incomplete)
* ΣΤΗΛΗ (Stele) for orchestra (1994)
* ...a Százévesnek – Hommage à Takács Jenő for small string orchestra (2002)
* Sinfonia breve per archi – Fried Márta emlékére for small string orchestra (2004)
* Új üzenetek zenekarra for orchestra (1998–2008)
* Brefs messages (2010)
* Petite musique solennelle – En hommage à Pierre Boulez 90 for orchestra (2015)
* Ligeti évszázada – Kalandozás a múltban for ensemble (2023)

### Concertante

* Mouvement for viola and orchestra (1953–1954)
* Confessio concerto for piano (1980–1986)
* …quasi una fantasia… for piano and spatialized instrumental groups (1987–1988)
* Grabstein für Stephan for guitar and spatialized instrumental groups (1978–1989)
* Double concerto for piano, cello, and two spatialized instrumental groups (1989–1990)
* ...concertante... pour violin, viola, and orchestra (2003)

### Vocal

* Tánc dal for children choir and piano on a text by Sandor Weöres (1950)
* Bornemisza Péter mondásai for soprano and piano on texts written by Péter Bornemisza (1963–1968)
* Egy téli alkony emlékére (4 fragments on poems by Pál Gulyás), for soprano, violin, and cimbalom (1969)
* Négy capriccio for soprano and chamber orchestra, on texts by István Bálint (1959–1970)
* Négy dal Pilinszky János verseire for bassand chamber orchestra (1975)
* Eszká-emlékzaj (7 Songs on poems by Dezső Tandori, for soprano and violin (1974–1975)
* Herdecker Eurythmie "…sur des poèmes de Ellen Lösch", for speaker and tenor vielle (1979)
* Poslanija pokojnoj R. V. Trusovoj 21 poems of Rimma Dalos, for soprano and ensemble (1976–1980)
* Hét dal for soprano and cimbalom (or piano) (1981)
* Stsenï iz romana 15 poems of Rimma Dalos for soprano, violin, double bass, and cimbalom (1979–1982)
* Három dal Pilinszky János verseire for bass and piano (1975–1986)
* Requiem po drugu for soprano and piano (1982–1987)
* Kafka-Fragmente for soprano and violin (1985–1987)
* Három régi felirat for soprano and piano (1986–1987)
* Hölderlin : An... for tenor and piano (1988–1989)
* Samuel Beckett: What is the Word Siklós István tolmácsolásában Beckett Sámuel üzeni Monyók Ildikóval for solo alto (speaker), five voices, and spatialized instrumental groups (1990–1991)
* Samuel Beckett: mi is a szó Siklós István tolmácsolásában Beckett Sámuel üzeni Monyók Ildikóval for voice and upright piano (1990)
* Pesni Unïniya i Pechali op. 18 for double mixed choir and instruments (1980–1994)
* Requiem der Versöhnung for soloists, choir and orchestra (1995)
* Üzenetek zenekarra for orchestra and mixed choir (1991–1996)
* Hölderlin-Gesänge for solo barytone (and instruments) (1993–1997)
* …pas à pas – nulle part… for barytone, percussion and string trio (1993–1998)
* Einige Sätze aus den Sudelbüchern Georg Christoph Lichtenbergs revised version for soprano and double bass (1996–1999)
* Esterházy Péter: Fancsikó és Pinta (Töredékek) – Bevezetés a Szépéneklés Müvészetébe I for solo voice, piano, and celesta (1999)
* Colindă – Baladă for tenor, two mixed choirs and instrumental ensemble (2000–2007)
* Songs to Poems by Anna Akhmatova for soprano and ensemble (1997–2008)
* ...elszunnyadni, - semmi több... (Három dal Tandori Dezső verseire) (...to sleep, - no more..., (Songs to poems by Dezső Tandori)) for solo alto, [violin, piano & percussion / cello] (2019)

### A cappella

* Klárisok for mixed choir on a poem by Attila József (1950)
* Omaggio a Luigi Nono op. 16 for choir (1979)
* Kórkép és Hattyudal for mixed choir (1978–1981)
* József Attila-töredékek for solo soprano (1981)
* Nyolc kórus Tandori Dezső verseir for mixed choir (1981–1984)

### Opera

* Samuel Beckett: Fin de partie. Scènes et monologues, opéra en un acte (2018)