Roman Sketches, Op. 7/Piano Sonata

Charles T. Griffes - Roman Sketches, Op. 7/Piano Sonata

LP format

performed by Leonid Hambro - piano

Charles T. Griffes (born September 17, 1884) was only thirty-six when he died, on April 8, 1920, following an attack of influenza that developed into a lung infection. Legend, however, attributes his tragic early death to neglect, want, even poverty but contains, in actuality, only a grain of truth. Griffes, unable to hire professional copyists, wore himself out preparing scores and parts for important performances of his works; how hard he worked may be gauged by the fact that he was often forced to wear a bandage over his right eye because of strain. This arduous application depleted whatever strength and resistance he had and contributed to his fatal illness. His last public appearance took place at Carnegie Hall on December 4, 1919 when the Boston Symphony, conducted by Pierre Monteux, performed The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan. For the already ailing Griffes the occasion was a satisfying triumph, for the work was immediately recognized as an original and important contribution to American music and Griffes was hailed as a most promising, richly endowed composer. A similar reception had been accorded the Poem for Flute and Orchestra less than a month before.

The ROMAN SKETCHES, Op. 7 (1915-1916) are the best known of Griffes' piano works, the high point of his preoccupation with impressionism. The title was taken from a poem of William Sharp, as are the titles of the four sections, each of which were prefaced by Griffes with quotations indicating the mood and intent; the titles alone are sufficiently descriptive to make clear the programmatic tone-painting Griffes had in mind; The White Peacock, (". . .as the breath, as the soul . . . of . . . beauty moves the White Peacock . . .") opens the Sketches; in it Griffes utilized unusual chord structures, displaying a revolutionary freedom from a fixed tonality. Nightfall is a study, built on subtle ostinatos, of the muffled sounds of early evening. In The Fountain of the Acqua Paola, Griffes experimented with exotic scales to achieve the effect of "shimmering lights . . . flashed in happy bubbles . . .", and the play of color on water and foam. Clouds, ("Mountainous glories; They move superbly; Crumbling so slowly . . ."), is the final section in which Griffes began to work toward polytonality.

The PIANO SONATA, begun in December 1917 and finished a month later, marked a distinct turning away from impressionism by Griffes. The Sonata is a work of great power and uncommon beauty that balances, in perfect musical proportion, austere neo-classicism and an almost romantic passion. It was performed for the first time by the composer in New York for the MacDowell Club on February 26, 1918, when it was programmed as a 'Sonata in one movement." It was not well received by the critics who found it "experimental" and too unconventional. The Piano Sonata is stark, intense, completely devoid of embellishment, and uncompromising, "the finest abstract work in American piano literature," according to Rudolph Ganz, whose opinion has since been echoed by musicians and critics alike. Austere and abstract the Sonata may be, but it is without doubt one of tremendous emotional impact. (Edward Jablonski and Edith Garson)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Roman Sketches, Op. 7: The White Peacock {4:46}

2. Roman Sketches, Op. 7: Nightfall {5:47}

3. Roman Sketches, Op. 7: The Fountain of the Acqua Paola {3:16}

4. Roman Sketches, Op. 7: Clouds {3:35}

Side 2

1. Piano Sonata {13:54}

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