Serenade (1917?)

The autograph manuscript Ms. 428 is housed at the Japan Music Cultural History Museum. It extends to measure 14. Alongside Impromptu, Memories of Kobe, and Sonata Extasie, which Yamada never completed, this piece was reconstructed and completed in 2022 by the promising composer Masanori Enoki.

Commentary by Masanori Enoki

This fragment of a serenade, which was likely intended to be fashioned into a Chopin-esque short piece, ends in the middle of measure 14. While Chopin's Lullaby, written in the same D-flat major and 6/8 time, maintains a consistent accompaniment pattern throughout the piece, Yamada's Serenade shows some variation even within its fragment. Therefore, from measure 40 onwards, a modulating section was introduced to create a more undulating structure.

Score Information

Kosaku Yamada: Piano Works Supplement, Vol. 3 "Completion of Unfinished Works" (Muse Press)