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While researching, trying to figure out if it could be counted as a suite or not, I came across a few references to The Scenes from Childhood being a suite.

For now, I'm signed up for Woodland Sketches, but if the consensus swings in favour of Scenes from Childhood being counted a suite, I'd like to put dibs on that one instead!

Updated list:

J.S.Bach

French Suite no.2 - FarmGirl
French Suite No.4 – 1RC
Partita no.1 - Carey
Partita no.3 - Ganddalf
Partita no.6 - Kuanpiano

G.F. Händel

Keyboard suite no. 16 - Cinnamobear

E.Grieg

Peer Gynt Suite no.1 - Damon
Peer Gynt Suite no.2 - SlatterFan
From Holberg's time - jeffreyjones

MacDowell

Woodland Sketches - Sammae

Carl Nielsen

Suite for piano - D.S.F.

C.Debussy

Suite Bergamasque - woodog
Suite pour le Piano - neuralfirings

M.Ravel

Tombeau de Couperin - hreichgott + ScriabinAddict

B.Bartok

Suite Op.14 – Kreisler
Six Romanian Folk Dances - Carey

Deodat de Severac

En Languedoc: Suite pour piano - Tim Adrianson

Alberto Ginastera

Suite de Danzas Criollas - Orange Soda King

Feinberg

Suite 1 - albumblatter

This becomes just better and better. So much interesting music I never heard about.

There is one issue where I need the opinion of the other participants. Can we Count "Scenes from Childhood" as a suite? Sammae really wants it instead of MacDowell.

None of Bach's English suites are represented. Anyone?

I see no reason to exclude the Scenes from Childhood. It is a sequence of smaller pieces tied together by a common theme. If you look at Brahms Op. 118, it is a set of pieces with no unifying theme. Therefore you could say that such a set is not a suite. This is enough of a distinction in my opinion.

Oh but there are unifying devices and motifs in 118!!

You could still include 118 by the broadest definition but I figured the line could be drawn based on whether or not a unifying theme is made explicit either in title or form.

We need a pairs event as well! Rachmaninoff Suites! Arensky Suites! Dolly Suite! Mother Goose Suite! Children's Games Suite! Debussy's Petite Suite!

I have no objection if anyone want to perform a duet suite as part of this recital. Alternatively a separate duet e-cital could be arranged. Depends a bit on how many want to play duet suites.

My understanding is that the "unifying theme" (along with the titles) for the 15 pieces in the Scenes from Childhood was arrived at by Schumann AFTER the pieces had been composed. He originally was simply going to call the set "Easy Pieces."

There certainly are plenty of references on the internet to the Scenes from Childhood as being a "suite" - whether the term is being used correctly or not.

My own feeling is that if someone wants to contribute a work that "kind of" looks like a "suite" to the recital - then we should allow them to do so. BUT - they should play ALL (or MOST) of the movements/sections/pieces or whatever within the set - otherwise it wouldn't really be a "suite" would it???

I second this. Makes sense to me.

There are zillions of suites. There is no reason to stretch the definition given in the first post.

I probably will not participate, because I am not a very good pianist, but I have four different suites in mind, none of which is likely to be performed by anyone else, so a miracle could happen and I could get a decent recording of one of them by the deadline.

Zillions of suites??? Seriously????

Other than the obvious "suites" from the Baroque era, I was hard pressed to find works that 1) weren't already spoken for, or 2) actually were titled "suite" by the composer. Is there any possibility that you might share the names of the four suites you've identified?

I like this too. And I wasn't even stretching the definition, there are many works that could be considered suites simply by being a collection of small pieces. It only matters how rigid the organizer wants to be about it. My music dictionary spent almost 3 pages on it. It starts like this:


Maybe that's a bit too broad but we don't have to stretch the definition. If you want I can quote the first paragraph. It's really quite good I think.

Hahaha if I wait until I get to be a good pianist, it will never happen. I will just do my best. I figure I gotta start somewhere. I hope you decide to join later.

I was looking into a couple of suites written by Poulenc. One I really liked but seemed easier, so it would be great for an intermediate pianist was the Suite Francais:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dutR2mWOklQ

For a later intermediate/early advanced there's the Suite in C. Really charming pieces:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRvDH9OTyXY

For something a bit more challenging there's the Napoli Suite by Poulenc:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL4C5AMyRkQ

I'm not currently planning on doing any of these, but thought I'd share in case someone wanted to. I am looking for a Baroque suite to do, but I'm not sure where to look. I'd love to do some Couperin, especially since some are playing Ravel's Tombeau it might be cool to hear how Ravel tried to reflect Couperin in this suite. Any recommendations?

A quick perusal of my library shows the Suite Española by Albeniz, a couple by Poulenc, one by Saint-Saens, one by Schoenberg, some pieces in the Gradus ad Parnassum which form suites, Hindemith's 1922 Suite, Grainger's In a Nutshell, Suite Andalucia and others by Lecuona...

If you go to the Baroque, there are 19 suites by Buxtehude, a lot more by Handel, and plenty by French composers.

That list omits all of the ones I am considering.

Also came across a Muczynski Suite for Piano Op. 13, Goyescas by Granados, Mozart Suite K399 which only has 3 movements plus a fragment of a Sarabande. I really like this last one, that may be a contender for me!

Not to mention the 16+ from Bach. So you have 60 suites from German Baroque composers alone.

I am sure there are other Bachs who wrote suites. There must be someone out there with a calliope who could play PDQ Bach's Toot Suite.

There is also Suite Lorraine, and Suite Georgia Brown!

and don't forget the "Ain't She Suite" !!!!!!!

Great stuff folks - thanks for the titles.