MARTINU PUPPETS I - III H7970 Despite the extraordinary significance attributed to Bohuslav Martinu's 14 short piano pieces entitled Puppets, surprisingly little is known about the exact time and circumstances of their composition. It is however certain that these are the first works by Martinu which transcended his initial attempts at composition and they quickly found a publisher. Thanks to their lasting popularity particularly with young pianists, they were published in numerous editions. The pieces take the characters of Italian commedia dell'arte as their theme; Pierrot, Colombine and Harlequin. Also included are dance and ball scenes, as well as scenes from the "private lives" of the puppets. The three editions of Puppets were composed between 1912 and 1925 in reverse order. The works all differ from one another, beginning with different aesthetic starting points and ending with piano writing which gradually matures. Now the cycle is published for the first time in one volume. Contents:   Colombìna tancí / Columbine tanz / Columbine Dances·Nová loutka / Die neue Puppe / The New Puppet·Ostychavá panenka / Das schüchterne Püppchen / The Shy Puppet·Pohádka / Märchen / Fairy-Tale·Tanec loutek / Tanz der Puppen / The Puppets' Dance·Loutkové divadlo / Puppentheater / Puppet Theatre·Harlekyn / Harlekin / Harlequin·Colombina vzpomíná / Colombines Erinnerungen / Colombine Reminisces·Nemocná loutka / Die kranke Puppe / The Sick Puppet·Colombina zpívá / Colombine singt / Colombine sings·Pierrotovo zastaveicko / Pierrots Ständchen / Pierrot's Serenade·Valcík sentimentální loutky / Walzer einer sentimentalen Puppe / Waltz of the Sentimental Puppet·Colombina / Colombine / Colombine·Ples loutek / Puppenball / Puppet's Ball·Ples loutek (autografní verze) / Puppenball (autographe Fassung) / Puppet's Ball (autograph version)