List of compositions by Elliott Carter explained

This is a list of works by the American composer Elliott Carter.

Ballet

• Pocahontas (1938–39)
• The Minotaur (1947), choreographed by George Balanchine and John Taras^[1]

Opera

• What Next? (opera in one act; libretto by Paul Griffiths) (1997)

Choral

• Tarantella for men's chorus and two pianos (1937)
• Let's Be Gay for women's chorus and two pianos (1937)
• Harvest Home for a cappella choir (1937)
• To Music for a cappella choir (1937)
• Heart Not So Heavy for a cappella choir (1939)
• The Defense of Corinth for speaker, men's chorus and piano four hands (1941)
• The Harmony of Morning for women's chorus and chamber orchestra (1944)
• Musicians Wrestle Everywhere for mixed chorus (SSATB) a capella or with strings (1945)
• Emblems for men's chorus and piano (1947)

Concertante

• Double Concerto for Harpsichord and Piano with Two Chamber Orchestras (1959–61)
• Piano Concerto (1964–65)
• Concerto for Orchestra (1969)
• Oboe Concerto (1986–1987)
• Violin Concerto (1990)
• Clarinet Concerto (1996)
• Cello Concerto (2000)
• Boston Concerto (2002)
• Dialogues for piano and chamber orchestra (2003)
• Mosaic for harp and ensemble (2004)
• Soundings for piano and orchestra (2005)
• Horn Concerto (2006)
• Interventions for piano and orchestra (2007)
• Flute Concerto (2008)
• Concertino for bass clarinet and chamber orchestra (2009)
• Two Controversies and a Conversation for piano, percussion, and chamber orchestra (2010–11)
• Dialogues II for piano and chamber orchestra (2012)

Orchestra

• Symphony No. 1 (1942, revised 1954)
• Holiday Overture (1944, revised 1961)
• Variations for Orchestra (1954–1955)
• A Symphony of Three Orchestras (1976)
• Three Occasions for Orchestra (1986–89)

1. "A Celebration of Some 150x100 Notes"

1. "Remembrance"

1. "Anniversary"

• (1993–96)

1. Partita

1. Adagio Tenebroso

1. Allegro Scorrevole

• Three Illusions for Orchestra (2002–04)

1. "Micomicón"

1. "Fons Juventatis"

1. "More's Utopia"

• Sound Fields for string orchestra (2007)
• Instances for chamber orchestra (2012)

Large ensemble

• Penthode for ensemble (1985)
• Asko Concerto for sixteen players (2000)
• Réflexions for ensemble (2004)
• Wind Rose for wind ensemble (2008)

Chamber

• Pastoral for english horn and piano (1940, revised 1982, arrangements for clarinet, viola and alto saxophone exist)
• Canonic Suite for four alto saxophones or four clarinets (1939, published in 1945, revised in 1981^[2])
• Elegy for viola and piano, also version for string quartet (1943, revised 1961)
• Cello Sonata (1948)
• Woodwind Quintet (1948)
• Eight Etudes and a Fantasy for wind quartet (1949) https://web.archive.org/web/20080201015213/http://www.carter100.com/
• String Quartet No. 1 (1951)
• Sonata for flute, oboe, cello, and harpsichord (1952)
• String Quartet No. 2 (1959)
• Canon for 3 (1971)
• String Quartet No. 3 (1971)
• Brass Quintet (1974)
• Duo for violin and piano (1974)
• Birthday Fanfare for three trumpets, vibraphone, and glockenspiel (1978)
• Triple Duo (1983)
• Esprit rude/esprit doux for flute and clarinet (1984)
• Canon for 4 (1984)
• String Quartet No. 4 (1986)
• Enchanted Preludes for flute and cello (1988)
• Con leggerezza pensosa for clarinet, violin, and cello (1990)
• Quintet for piano and winds (1991)
• Trilogy for oboe and harp (1992)

1. Bariolage for harp

1. Inner Song for oboe

1. Immer Neu for oboe and harp

• Esprit rude/esprit doux II for flute, clarinet, and marimba (1994)
• Fragment I for string quartet (1994)
• String Quartet No. 5 (1995)
• Luimen for ensemble (1997)
• Quintet for piano and string quartet (1997)
• Fragment II for string quartet (1999)
• Oboe Quartet, for oboe, violin, viola, and cello (2001)
• Hiyoku for two clarinets (2001)
• Au Quai for bassoon and viola (2002)
• Call for two trumpets and horn (2003)
• Clarinet Quintet (2007)
• Tintinnabulation for percussion sextet (2008)
• Tre Duetti for violin and cello (2008, 2009)

1. Duettone

1. Adagio

1. Duettino

• Nine by Five for wind quintet (2009)
• Trije glasbeniki for flute, bass clarinet, and harp (2011)
• String Trio (2011)
• Double Trio for trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin and cello (2011)
• Rigmarole for cello and bass clarinet (2011)
• Epigrams for violin, cello, and piano (2012)

Voice

• My Love Is in a Light Attire for voice and piano (1928)
• Tell Me Where Is Fancy Bred for voice and guitar (1938)
• A Mirror on Which to Dwell for soprano and ensemble (1975)
• Syringa for mezzo-soprano, bass-baritone, guitar, and ensemble (1978)
• Three Poems of Robert Frost for baritone and ensemble (1942, orchestrated 1980)
• In Sleep, in Thunder for tenor and ensemble (1981)
• Of Challenge and of Love for soprano and piano (1994)
• Tempo e Tempi for soprano, oboe, clarinet, violin, and cello (1998–99)
• Of Rewaking for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (2002)
• In the Distances of Sleep for mezzo-soprano and chamber orchestra (2006)
• Mad Regales for six solo voices (2007)
• La Musique for solo voice (2007)
• Poems of Louis Zukofsky (2008) for mezzo-soprano and clarinet
• On Conversing with Paradise (2008) for baritone and chamber orchestra
• What Are Years (2009) for soprano and chamber orchestra
• A Sunbeam's Architecture (2010) for tenor and chamber orchestra
• Three Explorations (2011) for bass-baritone, winds, and brass
• The American Sublime (2011) for baritone and large ensemble

Piano

• Piano Sonata (1945–46)
• Night Fantasies (1980)
• 90+ (1994)
• Two Diversions (1999)
• Retrouvailles (2000)
• Two Thoughts about the Piano (2005–06)

1. "Intermittences"

1. "Caténaires"

• Tri-Tribute (2007–08)

1. "Sistribute"

1. "Fratribute"

1. "Matribute"

Solo instrumental

• Eight Pieces for Four Timpani (1949/66)
• Changes for guitar (1983)
• Scrivo in Vento for flute (1991)
• Gra for clarinet, also version for trombone (1994)
• Figment for cello (1994)
• A 6-letter Letter for English horn (1996)
• Shard for guitar (1997)
• Four Lauds for solo violin (1999, 1984, 2000, 1999)

1. "Statement – Remembering Aaron"
2. "Riconoscenza per Goffredo Petrassi"
3. "Rhapsodic Musings"
4. "Fantasy – Remembering Roger"

• Figment II for cello (2001)
• Steep Steps for bass clarinet (2001)
• Retracing for bassoon (2002)
• HBHH for oboe (2007)
• Figment III for contrabass (2007)
• Figment IV for viola (2007)
• Figment V for marimba (2009)
• Retracing II for horn (2009)
• Retracing III for trumpet (2009)
• Retracing IV for tuba (2011)
• Retracing V for trombone (2011)
• Mnemosyné for violin (2011)
• Figment VI for oboe (2011)

Notes and References

1. Doering, William, "Elliot Carter Jr. (1908–)", in Sitsky, Larry (ed.), Music of the Twentieth-Century Avant-Garde: A Biocritical Sourcebook (ABC-CLIO, 2002), p. 105.
2. Sax, Mule, Jean-Pierre Thiollet, H & D, 2004, p. 109