(for Voice and Piano). By Charles Ives (1874-1954). For Voice and Piano (MUSIC F...(+)
(for Voice and Piano). By
Charles Ives (1874-1954).
For Voice and Piano
(MUSIC FOR VOICE).
Peermusic Classical. 30
pages. Peermusic
#61051-211. Published by
Peermusic
For Piano. By Charles Ives. Edited by John Kirkpatrick. Arranged by John Kirkpat...(+)
For Piano. By Charles
Ives. Edited by John
Kirkpatrick. Arranged by
John Kirkpatrick. Solo
piano. For Piano Solo.
Solo part. 13 pages.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company.
Chamber Music Piano SKU: PR.110418370 Composed by Charles Ives. Arranged ...(+)
Chamber Music Piano
SKU: PR.110418370
Composed by Charles Ives.
Arranged by Danny Holt.
Performance Score. 20
pages. Duration 8
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #110-41837.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.110418370).
ISBN
9781491135075. UPC:
680160686247.
Compo
sed as an organ solo by
the 17-year-old Ives for
his own performance
purposes, the beloved
Variations on America is
a treat for any occasion,
whether a holiday
concert, a serious
recital, or other special
event. Danny Holt’s
transcription for Piano,
Four Hands adds a
dazzling new option to
play at home or on stage,
taking best advantage of
Ives’ tremendous
contrasts in color,
dynamics, and
texture. Composed when
Charles Ives was a
teenager, Variations on
“America” is both a
convenient introduction
to Ives’ body of work,
and an early example of
his iconoclastic musical
voice and creative
genius. Just a few years
after composing this
piece, Ives would leave
home to study music at
Yale. But until then he
had been taught by his
father, George (who had
been a bandmaster in the
Civil War). George
subjected the young Ives
to experiments such as
singing a song in one key
while being accompanied
in another, or arranging
for two marching bands to
converge on a town
center, with the
resulting cacophony that
ensued.The Variations
exemplifies an early
period of experimentation
in Ives’ work, spurred
on by the unusual
pedagogy of his father.
The piece is particularly
notable for its use of
bitonality in the two
interludes, subtly
foreshadowing more
well-known examples by
Stravinsky, Bartók, and
others by approximately
two decades.The bitonal
interludes were so ahead
of their time, in fact,
they were omitted from
the first copy that was
submitted to a publisher
in 1892. (Alas, the piece
was rejected even despite
these “shocking”
elements having been left
out, and it wasn’t
published until more than
five decades later.)
There is some ambiguity
about when exactly Ives
added the interludes into
his manuscript copy,
though ample evidence
suggests he had performed
the piece with the
interludes around the
time he notated the piece
in 1891-92. In any case,
in light of this piece
and his other polytonal
explorations from the
last decade of the 19th
century, it seems fair to
give Ives credit for
being a pioneer in this
area!This arrangement for
Piano, Four Hands,
closely follows Ives’
original version for
organ, setting aside
William Schuman’s
popular adaptation for
symphony orchestra and
William Rhoads’ band
transcription of the
Schuman orchestration.
Pianists will find that
the piece translates well
to the instrument.
Ideally, the choreography
and logistics of
elbow-to-elbow four-hands
playing approximates the
wild joy one gets from
watching an organist play
the piece (e.g., the
elaborate pedal part in
the final variation).In
preparing this
publication, attention
was paid to details in
the dual Critical
Editions (Presser
443-41003) of both
Ives’ manuscript
edition and the 1949
publication edited by
organist E. Power Biggs
(who is credited with
discovering what had been
a long-lost, forgotten
work.) But as with much
of Ives’ output,
attempting to create a
true ‘urtext’ score
is a futile endeavor, and
especially with a piece
such as this one – in
which Ives incorporated
improvisation in live
performance – seems
unnecessary anyhow. True
die-hards are of course
encouraged to consult the
critical editions and
even find inspiration in
the orchestrated version.
Generally, performers are
advised to be wild, have
fun, and not to be too
rigid in their
interpretive
choices.Dynamics in this
arrangement mostly follow
the organ score closely.
Pianists will use good
judgment about pedaling
throughout, which should
be straightforward and
intuitive. Courtesy
accidentals have been
provided frequently –
without parentheses –
balancing the need for
extra clarity in the
context of Ives’ murky
musical language, and a
desire to avoid
unnecessary clutter.A few
notes that might inform
interpretive
decisions:mm. 15-16:
There are inconsistencies
here between Ives’
original manuscript and
the 1949 Biggs edition,
regarding the top voice
in m. 15, beat 3 (C# vs.
Cn) and m. 16 (D Major
vs. D Minor).mm. 76-84 &
143-146: In both
Interludes, Ives
emphatically notates
extreme dynamic contrast,
in order to highlight the
bitonality. Although it
may seem counterintuitive
(or even a misprint, as
has apparently been
misconstrued by some),
performers are urged to
follow the composer’s
marking!m. 109: Two-note
slurs have been added
here for clarity and
consistency with other
similar passages, though
they do not appear in
either the original
manuscript or Biggs.m.
112: The last two eighth
notes of Primo appear as
16ths in the original
manuscript.mm. 183-186:
The original manuscript
has a slightly different
bass line.mm. 184 & 186:
Primo gestures have been
re-written to be slightly
more idiomatic for Piano,
Four Hands.m. 186: The
breath mark at the end of
this bar does not appear
in either the manuscript
or Biggs, but is an
editorial suggestion –
aside from being
appropriately dramatic,
it will indeed be
necessary in a
reverberant hall!I would
like to thank Steven
Vanhauwaert, the other
half of my piano duo,
4handsLA, for his input
on early drafts of this
arrangement.— Danny
Holt, April 2022.
Largo Risoluto No. 1 Piano Quintette: piano, 2 violons, alto, violoncelle Peermusic Classical
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(Piano Quintet). Composed
by Charles Ives
(1874-1954). For Piano
Quintet (Set). Peermusic
Classical. 16 pages.
Peermusic #60666-790.
Published by Peermusic
(No. 2 of 'Three Outdoor Scenes,' Parts). By Charles Ives (1874-1954). For Piano...(+)
(No. 2 of 'Three Outdoor
Scenes,' Parts). By
Charles Ives (1874-1954).
For Piano, String
Quartet, Piano Quintet
(Parts). Schott.
Softcover. 16 pages.
Schott Music #B09775.
Published by Schott Music
Study #2 for Ears or Aural and Mental Exercise!!! for Piano. By Charles Ives. Ed...(+)
Study #2 for Ears or
Aural and Mental
Exercise!!! for Piano. By
Charles Ives. Edited by
Garry Clarke, John
Kirkpatrick. Arranged by
John Kirkpatrick. Solo
piano. For Piano Solo.
Solo part. 11 pages.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company.
Study No.9: for Piano. By Charles Ives. Edited by Henry Cowell. Solo piano. For ...(+)
Study No.9: for Piano. By
Charles Ives. Edited by
Henry Cowell. Solo piano.
For Piano. Classical.
Solo part. 4 pages.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company.