This is a list of compositions by György Kurtág.
Compositions by opus number
TitleInstrumentationYearop. 1 String Quartet No. 1 1959 op. 2 Wind Quintet 1959op. 3 Eight Pieces for piano piano 1960op. 4 Eight Duos violin and cimbalom 1961op. 5 Jelek solo viola 1961op. 5b Jelek solo cello 1961–1984op. 6 Five Merrycate guitar 1962op. 6c Splinters cimbalom 1973op. 6d Splinters piano 1978op. 7c The Sayings of P. Bornemisza concerto for soprano and piano 1963–1968op. 8 In Memory of a Winter Evening Four Fragments for soprano, violin, and cimbalom 1969op. 9 Four Capriccios soprano and chamber ensemble 1969–1970op. 10 24 Antiphonae orchestra 1970–1971op. 11 Four Songs to Poems by János Pilinszky bass voice and ensemble 1973–1975op. 12 S. K. Remembrance Noise, Seven Songs to Poems by Dezső Tandori soprano and violin 1974–1975op. 13 Hommage à András Mihály12 microludes for string quartet1977–1978op. 14 Herdecker Eurhythmieflute, violin, recitation, and tenor-lira1979op. 14d Bagatellesflute, double-bass, and piano1981op. 14e Three Pieces violin and piano 1979op. 15b The Little Predicament piccolo, trombone, and guitar 1978op. 15c Grabstein für Stephan guitar and instrumental groups 1989op. 15d Hommage a R. Sch. clarinet, viola, and piano 1990op. 16 Omaggio a Luigi Nono to poems by Anna Akhmatova and Rimma Dalos mixed voices 1979op. 17 Messages of the Late R. V. Troussova, words by Rimma Dalos soprano and chamber ensemble 1976–1980op. 18 Songs of Despair and Sorrow mixed choir with instruments 1980–1994op. 19 Scenes from a Novel soprano, violin, double-bass, and cimbalom 1981–1982op. 20 Attila József Fragments soprano 1981–1982op. 21 Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (begun 1980)op. 22 Seven Songs soprano and cimbalom 1981op. 23 Eight Choruses to Poems by Dezső Tandori mixed voices 1981–1982, 1984op. 24 Kafka-Fragmente soprano and violin 1985–1986op. 25 Three Ancient Inscriptions voice and piano 1986op. 26 Requiem for a Friend to Poems by Rimma Dalos soprano and piano 1986–1987op. 27/1 ...quasi una fantasia... piano and chamber ensemble 1987–1988op. 27/2 Double concerto piano, violoncello, and two chamber ensembles 1989–1990op. 28 Officium Breve in Memoriam Andreae Szervánszky string quartet 1988–1989op. 29 Hölderlin: An… (A Fragment) tenor and piano 1988–1989op. 30b Samuel Beckett: What is the Word recitation, mixed voices and chamber ensemble 1990–1991op. 31b Ligatura – Message-Hommage à Frances-Marie Uitti (The Answered Unanswered Question) violoncello with two bows, 2 violins and celesta; or 2 violoncelli, 2 violins and celesta; or 2 organs and celesta 1989op. 32 Lebenslauf 2 bassett horns and 2 pianos (tuned a quarter tone apart) 1992op. 33 Stele orchestra 1994op. 34 Messages orchestra 1991–1996op. 34a New Messages orchestra 1998–2008op. 35a Hölderlin-Gesänge baritone 1993–1997op. 36 ...pas à pas – nulle part... (poems by Beckett) baritone, string trio, and percussion 1993–1998op. 37 Fragments from the Scrapbooks of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg soprano and instruments 1996op. 38 Three Pieces clarinet and cimbalom 1996op. 38a Three Other Pieces clarinet and cimbalom 1996op. 39Scenesflute1997op. 40 Esterházy Péter: Fancsikó és Pinta (Fragments) – Introduction to the Art of Belcanto voice and piano/celesta 1999op. 41 Songs to Poems by Anna Akhmatovasoprano and ensemble 1997–2008op. 42 …concertante… violin, viola, and orchestra 2003op. 43 Hipartita violin 2004op. 44 Six Moments Musicaux string quartet 2005op. 45 Triptic two violins 2007op. 46 Colindă Baladă choir and nine instruments 2007op. 47 Brefs messages nine instruments 2011op. 48 Ligeti évszázada – Kalandozás a múltban ensemble 2023op. 50...elszunnyadni, – semmi több... (Három dal Tandori Dezső verseire) (...to sleep, – no more..., (Songs to poems by Dezső Tandori))alto[, violin, piano and percussion / cello]2019 Notes:
Works without opus number: Viola Concerto (1954) Játékok ("Games") (since 1973, 10 Volumes as of 2021), for piano In Memoriam György Zilcz (1975), for 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and tuba 13 Pieces for Cimbalom (1982), for 2 cimbaloms Games and Messages for winds (since 1984) Transcriptions from Machaut to J.S. Bach (1985), for 4-hand and 6-hand piano and 2 pianos Pilinszky János: Gérard de Nerval (1986), for violoncello 3 In Memoriam (1988–90), for 1-hand, 2-hand and 3-hand piano Signs, Games and Messages for solo violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet (since 1989) Ligatura E Versetti (1990), for organ Aus Der Ferne III (1991), for Alfred Schlee's 90th birthday, for string quartet Looking Back: Old and New for Four Players, Hommage à Stockhausen (1993), for trumpet, double-bass and keyboard instruments Epilog for Requiem of Reconciliation (1995) Miriam Marbé in Memoriam (1999), for three recorders Six Pieces for Trombone and Piano (1999) Petite musique solennelle – En hommage à Pierre Boulez 90 (2015) for orchestra Samuel Beckett: Fin de partie. Scènes et monologues, opéra en un acte (2018), opera
Compositions by genre
Solo Instrumental Piano Suite for four-hand piano (1950–1951) Elö-játékok (1973–1974) Játékok (Games) for piano, four-hand piano, and two pianos (10 Volumes published, 1973– ) Szálkák (1973–1978) 3 in memoriam (1988–1990) Viola da Gamba …sospiri, gemiti… (2011)
Violin Hipartita for solo violin (2000–2004) 29 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo violin (1989–2004) Viola 29 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo viola (1998–2005) Cello 19 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo cello (1987–2008) Double Bass 4 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo double bass (1999–2000) Flute 6 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo flute (1992–2005) Oboe 6 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo oboe (1997–2001) Clarinet 6 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo clarinet (1984–2001) Bassoon 3 Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for solo bassoon (1986–2001) Guitar Cinque Merrycate for solo guitar (1962) (Revoked) Organ Ligature e versetti for organ (1990) Cymbalom Szálkák for cimbalom (1973)
Chamber Duets 8 duets for violin and cimbalom (1960) Tre pezzi for violin and pianoforte (1979) 13 Darab két cimbalomra a Játékokból for two cimbalom (1982) Panaszos kérlelö for recorder and piano (1988) Tre pezzi for clarinet and cimbalom (1996) Tre altri pezzifor clarinet and cimbalom (1996) Játékok és üzenetek (Games and Messages) for woodwind duo (1998–2000) Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for string duo (1978–2003) Négy initium az Hommage à Jacob Obrecht-ből for viola and cello (2005) Triptic for two violins (2007) Trios A kis csáva for piccolo, trombone, and guitar (1978) Bagatelles for flute, piano and double bass, arrangements from Játékok (1981) Hommage à R. Sch. for clarinet (and bass drum), viola, and piano (1990) Myriam Marbé in memoriam for three recorders (1999) Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games and Messages) for string trio (1989–2005) String Quartet String quartet (1959) Hommage à András Mihály 12 microludes for string quartet (1977–1978) Officium breve in memoriam Andreæ Szervánszky for string quartet (1988–1989) Aus der ferne III for string quartet (1991) Aus der Ferne V for string quartet (1999) Hommage à Jacob Obrecht for string quartet (2004–2005) 6 Moments Musicaux for string quartet (1999–2005) Zwiegespräch for string quartet and electronics (co-written with György Kurtág Jr.) (1999–2006) Other Quartets Ligatura-Message to Frances-Marie The Answered Unanswered Question, for BACH-bow cello, two violins, and celesta (1989) Életút (Lebenslauf) for two pianos (tuned a quarter tone apart) and two basset horns (1992) Rückblick De l'ancien et du nouveau pour quatre instrumentistes (trumpet, double bass and keyboards) – Hommage à Stockhausen (1993) Quintets Wind quintet (1959) In memoriam György Zilcz for two trumpets, two trombones, and tuba (1975) Other Irka-firka születésnapra – Mihály Andrásnak for two violons, two violas, cello, and double bass (1991) Játékok és üzenetek (Games and Messages) for winds, strings, and keyboard (1992–2000)
Ensemble/orchestral 24 Antiphonae (1970–1971, incomplete) ΣΤΗΛΗ (Stele) for orchestra (1994) ...a Százévesnek – Hommage à Takács Jenő for small string orchestra (2002) Sinfonia breve per archi – Fried Márta emlékére for small string orchestra (2004) Új üzenetek zenekarra for orchestra (1998–2008) Brefs messages (2010) Petite musique solennelle – En hommage à Pierre Boulez 90 for orchestra (2015) Ligeti évszázada – Kalandozás a múltban for ensemble (2023)
Concertante Mouvement for viola and orchestra (1953–1954) Confessio concerto for piano (1980–1986) …quasi una fantasia… for piano and spatialized instrumental groups (1987–1988) Grabstein für Stephan for guitar and spatialized instrumental groups (1978–1989) Double concerto for piano, cello, and two spatialized instrumental groups (1989–1990) ...concertante... pour violin, viola, and orchestra (2003)
Vocal Tánc dal for children choir and piano on a text by Sandor Weöres (1950) Bornemisza Péter mondásai for soprano and piano on texts written by Péter Bornemisza (1963–1968) Egy téli alkony emlékére (4 fragments on poems by Pál Gulyás), for soprano, violin, and cimbalom (1969) Négy capriccio for soprano and chamber orchestra, on texts by István Bálint (1959–1970) Négy dal Pilinszky János verseire for bassand chamber orchestra (1975) Eszká-emlékzaj (7 Songs on poems by Dezső Tandori, for soprano and violin (1974–1975) Herdecker Eurythmie "…sur des poèmes de Ellen Lösch", for speaker and tenor vielle (1979) Poslanija pokojnoj R. V. Trusovoj 21 poems of Rimma Dalos, for soprano and ensemble (1976–1980) Hét dal for soprano and cimbalom (or piano) (1981) Stsenï iz romana 15 poems of Rimma Dalos for soprano, violin, double bass, and cimbalom (1979–1982) Három dal Pilinszky János verseire for bass and piano (1975–1986) Requiem po drugu for soprano and piano (1982–1987) Kafka-Fragmente for soprano and violin (1985–1987) Három régi felirat for soprano and piano (1986–1987) Hölderlin : An... for tenor and piano (1988–1989) Samuel Beckett: What is the Word Siklós István tolmácsolásában Beckett Sámuel üzeni Monyók Ildikóval for solo alto (speaker), five voices, and spatialized instrumental groups (1990–1991) Samuel Beckett: mi is a szó Siklós István tolmácsolásában Beckett Sámuel üzeni Monyók Ildikóval for voice and upright piano (1990) Pesni Unïniya i Pechali op. 18 for double mixed choir and instruments (1980–1994) Requiem der Versöhnung for soloists, choir and orchestra (1995) Üzenetek zenekarra for orchestra and mixed choir (1991–1996) Hölderlin-Gesänge for solo barytone (and instruments) (1993–1997) …pas à pas – nulle part… for barytone, percussion and string trio (1993–1998) Einige Sätze aus den Sudelbüchern Georg Christoph Lichtenbergs revised version for soprano and double bass (1996–1999) Esterházy Péter: Fancsikó és Pinta (Töredékek) – Bevezetés a Szépéneklés Müvészetébe I for solo voice, piano, and celesta (1999) Colindă – Baladă for tenor, two mixed choirs and instrumental ensemble (2000–2007) Songs to Poems by Anna Akhmatova for soprano and ensemble (1997–2008) ...elszunnyadni, – semmi több... (Három dal Tandori Dezső verseire) (...to sleep, – no more..., (Songs to poems by Dezső Tandori)) for solo alto, [violin, piano & percussion / cello] (2019)
A cappella Klárisok for mixed choir on a poem by Attila József (1950) Omaggio a Luigi Nono op. 16 for choir (1979) Kórkép és Hattyudal for mixed choir (1978–1981) József Attila-töredékek for solo soprano (1981) Nyolc kórus Tandori Dezső verseir for mixed choir (1981–1984)
Opera Samuel Beckett: Fin de partie. Scènes et monologues, opéra en un acte (2018)