These "Three Minatures for Violin and Piano" were composed in 1959 when the composer was 26 years old. These brief pieces (I. at 1 min. 41 secs., II. at 47 seconds, and III. at 1 min. 58 seconds) are influenced, as were many contemporary works of the time, by Anton Webern, in terms of their derived, serial pitch language, but Penderecki constructs large resonate textures rather than the isolated, pointillistic events that make up Webern's orchestrations. Penderecki soon extended these textures into the vast orchestral soundscapes that were to typify his creations from 1960 - 1975. Many of these later ensemble violin effects can be heard in these Minatures. The first piece opens with a loud dissonant chord and several descending piano notes. The violin enters on a low swell note, then employs timbre devices such as tremolo glissandi, slow to wide vibrato (ending in a piano punctuation), harmonics and sul ponticello (on the bridge) playing. The second piece is for violin solo. Wide contrasts are achieved by alternating strident tones and heavy pizzicati with eerie tremolos and icy harmonics. A low-pitched violin tremolo leads the piano back in on an even series of chromatic pitches. A lyrical, pleading tone sails above the piano notes. The pianist plucks on the inside piano strings as the violin provides shakes and lyrical portamento slides. A gentle ascending high glissando in violin with a deep piano tone underneath lead the piece out.



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