Some of my favorite pieces and passages to play are ones that go through a ton of equal-length notes. According to this answer on Stack Exchange (which cites a wikipedia page, which in turn cites the Harvard Dictonary of Music), this type of piece is called a "perpetuum mobile".
From the Harvard Dictionary of Music:
Perpetuum mobile [L., perpetual motion]. A term used by Paganini (op.11), Weber (last movement of Piano Sonata op.19), and others to denote pieces which proceed from the beginning to the end in the same rapid motion, e.g., 16th-notes in presto. Pieces of this type, although not labeled thus, occur also in Chopin's etudes.
Interestingly, though the Harvard Dictionary source only uses this term in the context of a full piece, the Wikipedia page explicitly says it also applies to "figurations" and "passages" without providing an additional source. To distinguish between the Harvard definition and the Wikpedia, my proposal is to use the word 'perpetuo' to refer to specific parts and passages of a larger non-perpetuum-mobile piece.
Here's a list of some of my favorites:
| year | composer | piece | section |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1691 | Henry Purcell | King Arthur, or The British Worthy (Z. 628), Act 3, no. 20 "What Power art thou" | entire number (a few breaks in the vocal line, but the accompaniment holds a solid 16th note pulse) |
| ~1720 | J.S. Bach | Cello Suite No.1 in G Major, BWV 1007, I. Prelude | entire piece |
| ~1720 | J.S. Bach | Prelude in C minor, BWV 999 | entire piece |
| 1722 | J.S. Bach | Prelude in C Major, BWV 846 | entire piece |
| ~1722 | J.S. Bach | French Suite No.3 in B Minor, BWV 814, IV. Menuett - Trio | mm. 1-16 |
| 1766 | C.P.E. Bach | Solfeggietto | entire piece |
| 1827 | Franz Schubert | Impromptu No. 2 in E♭ major | right hand, mm. 1-80 |
| 1833 | Frédéric Chopin | Etude Op.10 No.5 | right hand |
| 1835 | Niccolò Paganini | Moto Perpetuo Op.11 (score) | entire piece |
| 1851 | Franz Lizst | La Campanella | right hand, mm. 5-12 |
| 1890 | Claude Debussy | Arabesque No.1 | mm. 1-5 |
| 1899 | Николай Римский‐Корсаков (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov) | Flight of the Bumblebee | various |
| 1922 | Camille Saint-Saëns | Hémiones | entire piece |
| 1972 | Николaй Кaпустин (Nikolai Kapustin) | Piano Concerto No.2, Op.14, Mvt.3 | mm. 23-34 |
| 1987 | David Wise | Wizards & Warriors Title Screen | entire piece |
| 2001 | 峰岸透 (Toru Minegishi) | Gamecube startup | lead mallet instrument |
| 2001 | Daft Punk | Aerodynamic | electric guitar, 1:03-2:21 |
| 2013 | Akira Complex | Helios | lead synth 0:29-1:22 |
| 2013 | Porter Robinson | My Nostalgia is a Curse | lead synth, 2:30-2:44, 3:53-4:14 |
| 2014 | Porter Robinson | Shepherdess | lead synth, 1:47-2:46 |
| 2016 | Zaylien | VOiDS | lead synth, 1:30-1:54 |
| 2018 | Akira Complex & N² | Boot Sequence | synth, 0:15-0:39, 1:10-1:58, 2:05-3:36 |
| 2019 | Haywyre | With You | lead synth, 1:36-1:55 |
| 2020 | Porter Robinson | Something Comforting | sampled pluck, 0:00-1:07 |
| 2022 | Polyphia | Playing God | lead guitar, 2:41-3:02 |
| 2022 | ReeK | Super Sex Delivery 2 - Enter the Cum Zone | lead synth, 4:22-5:09 |
| 2022 | Street | Verrat | lead piano, 0:00-0:40 |
| 2023 | ミツキヨ (Mitsukiyo) | Unwelcome School | piano solo, 1:15-1:31 |
It seems like no ones made any music where the entire piece is a perpetuum mobile since 1922, unless you count the ~5 second Gamecube startup sound. Someone should fix that.
TODO
add to table
- bach violin partita no1 in b minor bwv 1002 mvt.2
- https://crosseyedpianist.com/2012/07/14/perpetuum-mobile/
- debussy images book 1 mouvement
- Francis Poulenc - Trois Mouvements Perpétuels
- surely something exists by vivaldi
- shrimp miku https://youtu.be/6Y4b25CYkkg
- David Wise - Wizards & Warriors Title Screen (NES)