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Piano Variations (Copland)

The Piano Variations of American composer Aaron Copland were written for piano solo from January to October 1930. They were dedicated to American writer and literary critic Gerald Sykes (c. 1904–1984),[1] and were originally published in 1932 by Cos Cob Press, which merged with Arrow Music Press in 1938 and was taken over by Boosey & Hawkes in 1956. The approximate performance time is 11 minutes.

Background

The Piano Variations were a product of Copland's second-style period, also called the abstract period, which consisted only of instrumental (non-vocal) compositions. During this time, the composer moved away from the jazzy idioms he experimented with in the 1920s and started working more in the direction of absolute music. The influence of composition pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, with whom Copland studied in Paris at the Fontainebleau School of Music for Americans, is prevalent in the formal style, logic, patterns, and attention to detail in the Piano Variations and other works in this period.

Copland stated that he worked on the variations individually without an agenda for fitting them together or sequencing them, which seems to contradict the piece's highly ordered construction and seemingly inevitable development. Copland acknowledged this contradiction but maintained that, in fact, "One fine day when the time was right, the order of the variations fell into place."[2] Copland had ambitious plans for this "serious piano piece"—the first of three including the Piano Variations (1930), the Piano Sonata (1939–41), and the Piano Fantasy (1957); he worked painstakingly and thought at epic proportions, saying he "should like to call them like Bach did the Goldberg Variations—but thus far haven't been able to think up a good one."[3]

Transcription as Orchestral Variations (1957)

Copland transcribed the Piano Variations for orchestra in 1957 after a commission from the Louisville Orchestra. These Orchestral Variations were premiered the following year, conducted by Robert Whitney. Copland regarded the "lean, percussive and rather harmonically severe" quality of the piano[4] as essential to the Piano Variations in 1930, but after 27 years, reinvented the work to take advantage of a full orchestral palette. The Orchestral Variations offer a new perspective on the work, focusing instead on the contrasts of its multifarious moods and colors.

The Orchestral Variations are scored for the following instrumentation.

Reception

Copland regarded pianist Walter Gieseking very highly for his refined tone and subtle coloration, especially in the performance of Debussy, and insisted that no one else could give a satisfactory premiere of his masterpiece. Unfortunately, Gieseking (who had performed in the premiere of the piano trio Vitebsk in New York in 1929) turned down Copland's request for a premiere due to the piece's "crude dissonances" and "severity of style".[5] Copland thus premiered the piece himself at a League of Composers Concert in New York on January 4, 1931.

The Piano Variations were praised in some esoteric circles, but the public was generally courteous but lukewarm in its reception. The work was variously described as new, strange, dissonant, stark, bare, and disconcerting. Critic Paul Rosenfeld contemplated its "flinty, metallic sonorities."[This quote needs a citation] American composer Marc Blitzstein called it "Lithic."[This quote needs a citation] The cold, hard tone of Copland's playing at the premiere, far from that of a concert pianist, lent a sharper edge to an already austere work. Leonard Bernstein later reported that he adored the piece, which was "hard as nails", and also used it at parties to "empty the room, guaranteed, in two minutes". It was to him a "synonym for modern music—so prophetic, harsh and wonderful, and so full of modern feeling and thinking".[6]

Despite the wide spectrum of opinion, the Piano Variations were immediately recognized for their originality and made a lasting impression. The New York Herald Tribune reported that, in the piece, Copland "sardonically thumbed his nose at all those esthetic attributes which have hitherto been considered essential to the creation of music".[7]

Dancer-choreographer Martha Graham requested permission to choreograph a solo piece on the Piano Variations. With Copland's consent, she produced Dithyrambic, an evocation of Dionysus that was received with the highest enthusiasm.[8] Copland admitted to being "utterly astonished that anyone could consider this kind of music suitable for dance ... although her choreography was considered as complex and abstruse as my music".[9]

The Variations

Overview

Unlike a traditional theme and variations, Copland's Piano Variations are not episodic.[10] They are continuously played through, in an undisrupted development of the seven-note "row" in the theme from which Copland builds the rest of the piece, "in what I hope is a consistently logical way".[11] All of the content can be traced back to this or transpositions of this seven-note motif, suggesting the serialist techniques of Schoenberg. The concision, rigor, and lack of ornamentation have been compared to that of the style of Anton Webern.[12] The dissonances (ubiquitous minor seconds, major sevenths and ninths) are precisely chosen for their degree of "shock value". While working on the Piano Variations, Copland cultivated a tautness and clarity of form and texture that became a precursor to the style of his other works.[citation needed]

Copland also experimented with the potential of the physical instrument, as he did with microtones on the stringed instruments in Vitebsk (1929). In the Piano Variations, some notes are held down silently while pitches selected from their overtone series are struck, which produces an effect of ringing resonances without hammering the tones directly.

Another prominent characteristic is the piece's rhythmic irregularity. The meters change constantly within an essentially 4/4 framework.

References

Sources

  • Anon. 1984. "Gerald Sykes, 80, Dies; Was Author and Critic". The New York Times (July 16) (accessed April 3, 2017).
  • Butterworth, Neil. The Music of Aaron Copland. London: Toccata Press; New York: Universe Books, 1985. ISBN 0-87663-495-1.
  • Copland, Aaron. A Reader: Selected Writings 1923–1972, new edition. Edited, with an introduction, by Richard Kostelanetz. Asst. editor Steve Silverstein. New York: Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-93940-2.
  • Greenfield, Edward, Ivan March, Robert Layton. 1996. The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs Yearbook, 1995/6. Penguin Handbooks. London and New York: Penguin Books.
  • Johnson, Lawrence. 2005. "Copland Piano Fantasy; Piano Sonata; Piano Variations: Fiery Performances in a Bargain Set of Three Notable Copland Works". Gramophone (August).
  • Oja, Carol J. 2000. Making Music Modern: New York in the 1920s. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-516257-8.
  • Perlis, Vivian. 2002. "Aaron Copland and John Kirkpatrick: 'Dear John, Can You Help Me Out?'". In Copland Connotations: Studies and Interviews, edited by Peter Dickinson, foreword by H. Wiley Hitchcock, 57–65. Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Rochester, New York: The Boydell Press. ISBN 0-85115-902-8.
  • Pollack, Howard. Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1999. ISBN 0805049096 (cloth); Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06900-5 (pbk).
  • Rapp, Patricia Ann. 1949. "Contemporary American Piano Music". MA thesis. Madison: University of Wisconsin–Madison.
  • Sales, Grover, and Michael Steinberg. 2001. "Finding an American Sound: Two Contemporaries: Duke Ellington, Aaron Copland". In American Mavericks: Musical Visionaries, Pioneers, Iconoclasts, edited by Susan Key and Larry Rothe 36–49. San Francisco: San Francisco Symphony; Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520233058; ISBN 9780520233041.
  • Soares, Janet Mansfield. 1992. Louis Horst: Musician in a Dancer's World. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822312260.

Further reading

  • Berger, Arthur. Aaron Copland. Oxford University Press, 1953. ISBN 0-306-76266-8.
  • Copland, Aaron, and Vivian Perlis. Copland 1900 Through 1942. St. Martin's/Marek, 1984. ISBN 0-312-16962-0.
  • Saun, Rinna M. 2003. "The Piano Variations of Aaron Copland: An Analysis and Study for the Performer". DMA diss. Denton: University of North Texas.
  • Simms, Bryan R. 2007. "Serialism in the Early Music of Aaron Copland". The Musical Quarterly 90, no. 2 (Summer): 176–196.
  • Smith, Julia. Aaron Copland: His Work and Contribution to American Music. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1955.

External links

piano, variations, copland, piano, variations, american, composer, aaron, copland, were, written, piano, solo, from, january, october, 1930, they, were, dedicated, american, writer, literary, critic, gerald, sykes, 1904, 1984, were, originally, published, 1932. The Piano Variations of American composer Aaron Copland were written for piano solo from January to October 1930 They were dedicated to American writer and literary critic Gerald Sykes c 1904 1984 1 and were originally published in 1932 by Cos Cob Press which merged with Arrow Music Press in 1938 and was taken over by Boosey amp Hawkes in 1956 The approximate performance time is 11 minutes Contents 1 Background 2 Transcription as Orchestral Variations 1957 3 Reception 4 The Variations 4 1 Overview 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksBackground EditThe Piano Variations were a product of Copland s second style period also called the abstract period which consisted only of instrumental non vocal compositions During this time the composer moved away from the jazzy idioms he experimented with in the 1920s and started working more in the direction of absolute music The influence of composition pedagogue Nadia Boulanger with whom Copland studied in Paris at the Fontainebleau School of Music for Americans is prevalent in the formal style logic patterns and attention to detail in the Piano Variations and other works in this period Copland stated that he worked on the variations individually without an agenda for fitting them together or sequencing them which seems to contradict the piece s highly ordered construction and seemingly inevitable development Copland acknowledged this contradiction but maintained that in fact One fine day when the time was right the order of the variations fell into place 2 Copland had ambitious plans for this serious piano piece the first of three including the Piano Variations 1930 the Piano Sonata 1939 41 and the Piano Fantasy 1957 he worked painstakingly and thought at epic proportions saying he should like to call them like Bach did the Goldberg Variations but thus far haven t been able to think up a good one 3 Transcription as Orchestral Variations 1957 EditCopland transcribed the Piano Variations for orchestra in 1957 after a commission from the Louisville Orchestra These Orchestral Variations were premiered the following year conducted by Robert Whitney Copland regarded the lean percussive and rather harmonically severe quality of the piano 4 as essential to the Piano Variations in 1930 but after 27 years reinvented the work to take advantage of a full orchestral palette The Orchestral Variations offer a new perspective on the work focusing instead on the contrasts of its multifarious moods and colors The Orchestral Variations are scored for the following instrumentation Woodwinds 2 flutes both doubling piccolo Oboe English horn 2 B flat clarinets 2nd doubling bass clarinet 2 bassoons Brass 4 horns in F 2 trumpets in B flat 3 trombones Tuba Harp Strings Percussion Timpani2 Percussionists playing Snare drum Tenor drum Bass drum Bongo drums Conga Cymbals Tam tam Wood block Glockenspiel Xylophone Tubular bells Antique cymbals Cowbell dd Reception EditCopland regarded pianist Walter Gieseking very highly for his refined tone and subtle coloration especially in the performance of Debussy and insisted that no one else could give a satisfactory premiere of his masterpiece Unfortunately Gieseking who had performed in the premiere of the piano trio Vitebsk in New York in 1929 turned down Copland s request for a premiere due to the piece s crude dissonances and severity of style 5 Copland thus premiered the piece himself at a League of Composers Concert in New York on January 4 1931 The Piano Variations were praised in some esoteric circles but the public was generally courteous but lukewarm in its reception The work was variously described as new strange dissonant stark bare and disconcerting Critic Paul Rosenfeld contemplated its flinty metallic sonorities This quote needs a citation American composer Marc Blitzstein called it Lithic This quote needs a citation The cold hard tone of Copland s playing at the premiere far from that of a concert pianist lent a sharper edge to an already austere work Leonard Bernstein later reported that he adored the piece which was hard as nails and also used it at parties to empty the room guaranteed in two minutes It was to him a synonym for modern music so prophetic harsh and wonderful and so full of modern feeling and thinking 6 Despite the wide spectrum of opinion the Piano Variations were immediately recognized for their originality and made a lasting impression The New York Herald Tribune reported that in the piece Copland sardonically thumbed his nose at all those esthetic attributes which have hitherto been considered essential to the creation of music 7 Dancer choreographer Martha Graham requested permission to choreograph a solo piece on the Piano Variations With Copland s consent she produced Dithyrambic an evocation of Dionysus that was received with the highest enthusiasm 8 Copland admitted to being utterly astonished that anyone could consider this kind of music suitable for dance although her choreography was considered as complex and abstruse as my music 9 The Variations EditOverview Edit Unlike a traditional theme and variations Copland s Piano Variations are not episodic 10 They are continuously played through in an undisrupted development of the seven note row in the theme from which Copland builds the rest of the piece in what I hope is a consistently logical way 11 All of the content can be traced back to this or transpositions of this seven note motif suggesting the serialist techniques of Schoenberg The concision rigor and lack of ornamentation have been compared to that of the style of Anton Webern 12 The dissonances ubiquitous minor seconds major sevenths and ninths are precisely chosen for their degree of shock value While working on the Piano Variations Copland cultivated a tautness and clarity of form and texture that became a precursor to the style of his other works citation needed Copland also experimented with the potential of the physical instrument as he did with microtones on the stringed instruments in Vitebsk 1929 In the Piano Variations some notes are held down silently while pitches selected from their overtone series are struck which produces an effect of ringing resonances without hammering the tones directly Another prominent characteristic is the piece s rhythmic irregularity The meters change constantly within an essentially 4 4 framework References Edit Anon 1984 Butterworth 1985 203 Perlis 2002 62 Johnson 2005 Pollack 1999 151 561 Greenfield March and Layton 1996 103 Sales and Steinberg 2001 47 Pollack 1999 154 Soares 1992 104 Rapp 1949 81 Copland 2004 354 Oja 2000 246 Sources Anon 1984 Gerald Sykes 80 Dies Was Author and Critic The New York Times July 16 accessed April 3 2017 Butterworth Neil The Music of Aaron Copland London Toccata Press New York Universe Books 1985 ISBN 0 87663 495 1 Copland Aaron A Reader Selected Writings 1923 1972 new edition Edited with an introduction by Richard Kostelanetz Asst editor Steve Silverstein New York Routledge 2004 ISBN 0 415 93940 2 Greenfield Edward Ivan March Robert Layton 1996 The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs Yearbook 1995 6 Penguin Handbooks London and New York Penguin Books Johnson Lawrence 2005 Copland Piano Fantasy Piano Sonata Piano Variations Fiery Performances in a Bargain Set of Three Notable Copland Works Gramophone August Oja Carol J 2000 Making Music Modern New York in the 1920s Oxford and New York Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 516257 8 Perlis Vivian 2002 Aaron Copland and John Kirkpatrick Dear John Can You Help Me Out In Copland Connotations Studies and Interviews edited by Peter Dickinson foreword by H Wiley Hitchcock 57 65 Woodbridge Suffolk and Rochester New York The Boydell Press ISBN 0 85115 902 8 Pollack Howard Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man New York Henry Holt and Company 1999 ISBN 0805049096 cloth Urbana University of Illinois Press ISBN 0 252 06900 5 pbk Rapp Patricia Ann 1949 Contemporary American Piano Music MA thesis Madison University of Wisconsin Madison Sales Grover and Michael Steinberg 2001 Finding an American Sound Two Contemporaries Duke Ellington Aaron Copland In American Mavericks Musical Visionaries Pioneers Iconoclasts edited by Susan Key and Larry Rothe 36 49 San Francisco San Francisco Symphony Berkeley and Los Angeles University of California Press ISBN 9780520233058 ISBN 9780520233041 Soares Janet Mansfield 1992 Louis Horst Musician in a Dancer s World Durham Duke University Press ISBN 9780822312260 Further reading EditBerger Arthur Aaron Copland Oxford University Press 1953 ISBN 0 306 76266 8 Copland Aaron and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 Through 1942 St Martin s Marek 1984 ISBN 0 312 16962 0 Saun Rinna M 2003 The Piano Variations of Aaron Copland An Analysis and Study for the Performer DMA diss Denton University of North Texas Simms Bryan R 2007 Serialism in the Early Music of Aaron Copland The Musical Quarterly 90 no 2 Summer 176 196 Smith Julia Aaron Copland His Work and Contribution to American Music New York E P Dutton amp Company 1955 External links EditVideo 11 38 on YouTube Yeona Lee piano Audio 13 26 on YouTube Orchestral Variations San Francisco Symphony Michael Tilson Thomas conducting Portal Classical music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Piano Variations Copland amp oldid 1136406085, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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