The "three piano pieces op.2" were composed in 1935, after Berkeley had finished studying with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and had returned to London. The titles of these three pieces are; No.1 "Etude", No.2 "Berceuse" and No.3 "Capriccio", they are all quite different and have a distinctive character from each other. One can hear in these pieces Berkeley's sensitivity and gift for harmony and tonality, an originality in his expression of mood and colour. All of the three pieces are relatively short, but there is an underlying feeling in this triptych that it is part of a much larger-scale work.

Berkeley dedicated the "Etude" to Harriet Cohen(1895-1967), who had studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music, Lennox had already composed no's 2 and 3 of the triptych when he showed them to Harriet and she asked if he would compose one especially for her, Vaughn Williams, was among other composer's at the time who also dedicated works to her.
The second piece "Berceuse" was dedicated to Alan Searle, a close friend of the British writer Somerset Maugham(1874-1965). Berkeley had an association with various writers and poets at this time, especially W.H. Auden. His affinity for literature and poetry were illustrated by his love of W.B.Yeats and A.E. Housman, and the19thCentury poets such as, Walter de la Mare and Robert Herrick, many of his song cycles are testament to this. The third piece "Capriccio" was dedicated to Vere Pilkington, whom Berkeley shared rooms with while at Oxford and whose families were close friends who often holidayed together on the Cote D'Azure. Both of them were to share a flat together in London after they came down from Oxford.
There are a few early compositional works from around Berkeley's time at Oxford, a "march"(1924) " Pilkington's toye"(1926) "For Vere"(1927) and finally a "Five movement suite for Harpsichord"(1930). All were written for Vere Pilkington who played the Harpsichord and was part of the early music revival at Oxford.

In the same year(1935) that Berkeley composed these "three piano pieces", he also produced the Oratorio "Jonah" op.3, Lennox had started this Oratorio in 1933 (not long after becoming a Roman Catholic in 1929) and it was his first attempt at a large-scale religious work but this was to be a significant aspect and theme in his subsequent work. "Jonah" was however, initially not very well recieved critically speaking, but it has since been favourably critically re-evaluated. The following year(1936), Berkeley met Benjamin Britten for the first time, a meeting that subsequently, was to have a profound influence on Lennox. The two of them maintained a long and special friendship and Britten supported and encouraged Berkeley above all other British composers. W.H. Auden was another important figure in both their lives, Britten and Auden having collaborated together in 1935 on the G.P.O. film units the "night mail". Their other collaboration, "Our Hunting Fathers"(1936) was based on W.H. Auden's 1934 poem ("Our Hunting Fathers"). Berkeley also set his song cycle(op.14 No.2b) to Auden's poem "Lay your sleeping head, my love" (1937), and to which he dedicated to Britten. Between 1939 and 1942, Britten went to live in America where he continued working with Auden on songs and film music. Lennox Berkeley meanwhile, kept in touch with Britten but chose to remain in England and produced amongst others such notable works as "Serenade for strings" op.12 (1939), and "Symphony No.1" op.16 (1940).

　

(Ⅰ) Etude (for Harriet Cohen.)
Allegro moderato.

The Chromatic melody line with both hands of octaves in contrary motion, creates a tension and an air of solemnity throughout the work. There are plenty of "Agogic" nuances, such as the accent "Sforzando", and "Subito" piano, all result in having a dramatic, contrasting and dynamic effect in this work.
After a "Scherzo"-like middle section, the theme returns and it concludes with an explosion of chords ending in a C-major chord. A feature of Berkeley's later works, which began to develop a darker and more enigmatic quality, such as his, "Four poems of St. Teresa of Avila"(1947), features in his "Etude" and was the first example of this later style, while still retaining the measured simplicity of much earlier works.

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(Ⅱ) Berceuse (to Alan Searle.)
Allegretto.

The second piece of these three is "Berceuse", and it is written in the style of a "Rondo"(A,B,A'). The constant change of metre, 3/4 and 7/8 in turns creates a gentle "sea-saw" effect. The gentle melody line is held in soprano and marked "Dolce", soon developing into the middle section which serves as an answer to the opening theme and acts to produce a contrasting impact to the whole piece. The piece then concludes once again with the return of theme in E-flat-major, but in a higher octave range, leading to a gentle and calm ending in "pianimissimo", this epitomises Berkeley's compositional style.

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(Ⅲ) Capriccio (to Vere Pilkington.)
Allegro.

The "Capriccio" concludes the " Three pieces", the theme of which is introduced by an upwards sweeping motif, accompanied by strong accentuation on the first bar of the piece, again followed by much variation of both dynamics and in ranges of touch (accent, portamento,etc..), all were utilised in this piece.
Berkeley also employs the skillful use of "rests" and "syncopated" rhythms in this third and last piece. Unlike in his first two pieces, the"Capriccio" is in 12/8 metre, and remains so through to it's conclusion, as the title of the piece("Capriccio") suggests, it is playful and mischievious in character, and has something of a "comic" quality to it and it is full of rhythmic vitality.

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MP3→ (Ⅰ)～(Ⅲ)

Kumiko Ida / Brian O'Hara-(text) Autumn 2005.