Piano Concerto (Cowell)
| Piano Concerto | |
|---|---|
| by Henry Cowell | |
.jpg) Photo of Henry Cowell c. 1924 | |
| Catalogue | HC 440 |
| Composed | 1928 |
| Performed | December 28, 1930 |
| Movements | 3 |
| Scoring | Piano concerto |
Henry Cowell wrote his Piano Concerto (formally Concerto for Piano and Orchestra) in 1928.
The piece contains many innovative uses of dissonance, cluster chords and extended uses of form.[1]
History[edit]
Cowell completed his Piano Concerto in 1928, and premiered the first movement as soloist with the Conductorless Orchestra of New York City in April 1930; he was also the soloist in the first complete performance on December 28, 1930, with the Havana Philharmonic conducted by Pedro Sanjuan. It was only until 1978, long after the composer's death, that its first full performance was done in the United States.[2]
Movements[edit]
The concerto is in three movements.
I. Polyharmony[edit]
The first movement, Polyharmony, begins with an orchestral tutti.
II. Tone Cluster[edit]
III. Counter Rhythm[edit]
Instrumentation[edit]
- Woodwinds
- 2 Flutes
- 2 Oboes
- 2 Clarinets
- 2 Bassoons
- Brass
- 2 French Horns
- 2 Trumpets
- 3 Trombones (third doubling bass trombone)
- Tuba
- Percussion
- Timpani
- Unpitched percussion (snare drum, tam-tam, cymbal)
- Piano
- Strings
- 16 Violins
- 8 Violas
- 8 Cellos
- 4 Basses
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Blumhofer, Jonathan (2018). "Rethinking the Repertoire #23 – Henry Cowell’s Piano Concerto". The Arts Fuse. Retrieved 13 June, 2022.
- ^ Keller, James. "About Cowell's Piano Concerto". American Mavericks. Retrieved 13 June, 2022.
External links[edit]
- [1] Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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