2E9A25CD-CCF5-4BF4-92F0-E4AD2E23B208
| ID | 2E9A25CD-CCF5-4BF4-92F0-E4AD2E23B208 |
|---|---|
| Titlecode | X410022 |
| Title Name | Sonata No. 1 for Piano |
| Marketing Copy | The second movement is a set of variations on the Kentucky folk song, "O Bury Me Beneath the Willow." The third movement makes use of another folk song, "Lisa." |
| Instrumentation | Piano Solo |
| Commission | (not set) |
| Dedication | (not set) |
| Program Notes | My Piano Sonata No. 1, composed in 1953, has many of the elements associated with both baroque and classical forms. The first movement has an exposition that presents three strongly contrasting sections. There is a development section with the reappearance of the second theme, a recapitulation and coda. Distinctive elements include the use of quartal harmony derived from the fourths in the first theme and the extensive use of counterpoint. The second movement consists of six variations on an obscure Kentucky folk song, "O Bury Me Beneath the Willow." The use of the interval of a fourth is again quite apparent in the harmonization of the melody of the folk song and in some of the variations. The principal theme of the third movement is in reality two themes--two-part writing that is interchangeable (double counterpoint). The second theme is another folk song, "Lisa." The final phrase of the melody of this song is reduced to alternating octaves in 7/8 meter. --George Walker |
| Title Brand | 2 |
| Year Composed | 1953/1991 |
| Copyright Number | (not set) |
| Copyright Year | (not set) |
| Duration | 16 |
| Ensemble Size | 1 |
| Date Created | 2008-10-31 20:32:01.000000 |
| Date Updated | 2025-09-30 20:32:01 |
| Inhouse Note | (not set) |
| Bsc Code | (not set) |
| Text Author | (not set) |
| Premier Performance Memo | -Frances Walker. 21 Oct 91. Movement II only. -Frances Walker. On Stage in New Jersey. The Music of George Walker. 09 Jun 91. |
| Recording Credits | Recorded by George Walker, Albany CD Troy 117. Recorded by Natalie Hinderas, CRI CD 629-2 |
| Review | "Piano Sonata No. 1...(is) ambitious, sweepingly romantic in feeling, yet also fashioned with a modernist's ear for pitch, color and astringent harmonies. The central movement, originally a stand-alone work called 'Variations on a Kentucky Folk Song," revealed Walker's clever inventiveness as well as a penchant for using source materials with American themes."--Willa J. Conrad, Star-Ledger <BR><br> "A Major work... comparable to Barber's Sonata" <BR>--Fanfare <BR><BR> "In a word, masterly" <BR>--New York Times |
| Awards | (not set) |
| Title Category | 5 |
| Title Movements | (not set) |
| Title Grade | (not set) |
| Set Series ID | (not set) |
| Title Instrument Category Text | Piano |
| Title Sub Category Text | (not set) |
| Title Sub Category | 101 |
| Title Instrument Header | 34 |
| Title Grade Text | (not set) |
| Clean Url | sonata-no-1-for-piano-x410022 |