Passacaglia (Godowsky)
Encyclopedia
Passacaglia is a solo piano composition by the composer Leopold Godowsky
. It was completed in New York, on October 21, 1927. The composition commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Franz Schubert
. Typical of Godowky's composition style, the piece contains dense contrapuntal, polyphonic, and chromatic writing.
based on the first 8 measures of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony
. The Passacaglia is made of forty-four variations, a cadenza and four-part fugue.
reportedly gave up on the piece, claiming that six hands, not two, were required to play it. Abram Chasins
, who heard Godowsky perform this piece in one of his gatherings, remarked, "This was sheer enchantment, both the work itself and Godowsky's pianism. It had the cool, colorful clarity of a stained-glass window. Although I was greatly moved and impressed by what I heard, Godowsky's effortless mastery made me unaware of the vastness of his pianistic feat that night" (Rimm, The Composer-Pianists)
Leopold Godowsky
Leopold Godowsky was a famed Polish American pianist, composer, and teacher. One of the most highly regarded performers of his time, he became known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion in piano playing, principles later propagated by Godowsky's...
. It was completed in New York, on October 21, 1927. The composition commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
. Typical of Godowky's composition style, the piece contains dense contrapuntal, polyphonic, and chromatic writing.
Description of form
The work is a passacagliaPassacaglia
The passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used by contemporary composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre....
based on the first 8 measures of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony
Unfinished Symphony
Unfinished Symphony is a 59-minute documentary film about a protest against the Vietnam War divided into three sections, mirroring the movements of Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, to which the film is set...
. The Passacaglia is made of forty-four variations, a cadenza and four-part fugue.
Reactions
The Passacaglia gained notoriety after pianist Vladimir HorowitzVladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
reportedly gave up on the piece, claiming that six hands, not two, were required to play it. Abram Chasins
Abram Chasins
Abram Chasins was an American composer, pianist, piano teacher, lecturer, musicologist, music broadcaster, radio executive and author....
, who heard Godowsky perform this piece in one of his gatherings, remarked, "This was sheer enchantment, both the work itself and Godowsky's pianism. It had the cool, colorful clarity of a stained-glass window. Although I was greatly moved and impressed by what I heard, Godowsky's effortless mastery made me unaware of the vastness of his pianistic feat that night" (Rimm, The Composer-Pianists)