The Home of the Brave

I thought it would be nice to use a picture that I took myself to start this one. This is by my grandmother's house in New York state. It's stunning, that's what I thought the first time I can remember being there. So much of my time, growing up, was spent in a suburban area or city and during summers I would escape with family to this serene place.

That same constant bombardment with city life attacked American composers like Aaron Copland, Elliot Carter, and Samuel Barber (once he moved to The City). This is one of the biggest influences in their music, which can be heard in all the "ugliness". Hold Up! Ugly music? . . .Yep, this is what these guys were experiencing in everyday life, so they transferred the concept to their music. Let me give you a prime example:

Horowitz on a good day!!

That was the one and only, Barber Piano Sonata (1st movement). Amazing work! Now, if you didn't notice, it has a great deal of dissonance, percussive sounds, and overall aggression. It is not the least bit pretty, but it is still a great work of art. Why? It displays heavy emotions and creates piercing affects that an audience will have trouble escaping from. Just because it doesn't have a lyrical aria-like sound of a Mozart opera or a lush melody from a Tchaikovsky symphony doesn't mean it is unable to MOVE an audience. Interesting.

Barber also wrote a piano concerto which I love. From the first time I heard it, I knew it was a great piece. Strangely, it never gets performed. No, I am serious, like maybe 5 or 6 times a year; worldwide. That's unfortunate. It was commissioned by the publisher G. Schirmer for their 100th anniversary. John Browning was the pianist who rocked out on it. There is a great story behind this premier and I plan to do an entire blog on it. Well, here is a kid who's doing his best with it:

This should be performed more
(who's the guy playing piano?)

Apart from the sonata and concerto, Barber does have a couple good small pieces. If you ever get a chance to listen to or learn the Ballade or Nocturne, do it. The are very nice!!

Copland, another major American composer, was also one who highlighted dissonance and used the piano in a percussive manner. Besides his Variations and the Piano Sonata, Copland came up a little short for piano repertoire. One easier piece is the Four Piano Blues. This work was just another one of Aaron's many phases as a composer. If you take each of his piano works and analyzed them, they ALMOST seem like all different compositional styles. This guy couldn't make up his mind.

Last, but certainly not least, is the WORLD'S OLDEST MAN. Well almost. Elliot Carter (100 years old) has already lived over 3 times the span of Franz Schubert's life. Wow! Modern medicine is a miracle. The best part . . .wait for it. . . he is still composing. Huh? This guy doesn't quit. By the time I get to that age (if I do) I can't even imagine having enough energy to blink. Blinking at 100 is probably highly taxing. I really need to stop badgering this guy. His biggest works for piano include his Piano Sonata and his Night Fantasies. Both of these are almost never played and this is probably because they're painfully difficult. I wonder if he can play them. Speaking of night fantasies, I need to go to bed.

Night Night!