The Three Pieces for Piano, although not completed until 1928, began with the composition, ten years earlier, of a trio of Pastorales. He later discarded one and virtually all of another, replacing them with new compositions. Written when Poulenc was not yet 20, the Pastorales showed the influence of both his teacher, Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes, and the composer Erik Satie. The Hymne and Toccata that replaced the discarded pieces, like the surviving Pastorale, were dedicated to Viñes, whose influence -- in both piano and composition -- Poulenc continually recognized throughout his life. \"At first,\" Poulenc once recalled of his early days under Viñes' tutelage, \"it was decided that I would have a half-hour lesson each week, but this lesson soon lasted an hour, then two, and, imperceptibly, I began to spend my life with this Hidalgo with the face of a kind inquisitor.\" [Allmusic.com]