Phillip Sear plays piano music inspired by gnomes. -------------------------------------------- Gnomes occupy a niche but vivid corner of Western classical and light music, typically embodying the grotesque, mischievous, or subterranean in contrast to the airy delicacy of fairies. The archetype is most famously realised in Mussorgsky’s Gnomus from Pictures at an Exhibition—a lurching, dissonant movement later orchestrated by Ravel that paints the gnome as a twisted, almost sinister figure. Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century composers frequently used gnomes as character pieces for piano: MacDowell’s Dance of the Gnomes (Op. 39 No. 6), Liszt’s dazzling scherzo Gnomenreigen (“Dance of the Gnomes”), and Grieg’s Tusselåt (“Procession of Gnomes”) all exploit rapid figuration, abrupt dynamic shifts, and dark colours to suggest impish, earthbound energy. Lighter theatrical and salon traditions also embraced the theme, from Manuel de Falla’s dainty Cortejo de gnomos (“Procession of Gnomes”) to Arthur Sullivan’s ballet movement titled Gnomes in his L’Île Enchantée divertissement, while later works such as Ge Gan-ru’s Gnomes movement in his String Quartet No. 4 show the motif’s enduring appeal. Thumbnail image created with Picsart ( tinyl.co/4WqE ).