There are three pieces that comprise Scriabin's Op. 45, a set he called Morceaux (Pieces). In the spirit of the homonym, it might as well have been translated to mean morsels, so short are each of its members. Not that brevity is a rare quality in Scriabin's piano works: many of his finest Preludes and other pieces last a mere minute or less. Feuillet d'album (Album leaf), with a duration of about a minute, is hardly Lilliputian then by his standards. More importantly, its artistic worth and popularity swells out of proportion to its diminutive size. The piece opens with a theme whose sweet character is tinged by melancholy, as left-hand harmonies descend while the right-hand's lovely theme and its trajectory reaching for the sky. On its second appearance, the theme is somewhat developed, appearing heavier and tender, without losing its generally light character. The final statement of this melody is gentle and serene, the music soon slowly fading, as if peacefully dozing off.

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