Three New England Sketches
Encyclopedia
Three New England Sketches by Walter Piston
is a symphonic suite dating from 1959
.
. They were composed in the summer of 1959 when Piston, as had become his habit, retreated to the Green Mountains
in Vermont to work from a hilltop with a magnificent view spread out before him, While the composer did not consider it a symphony he stated that each of the three movements did conform to symphonic development and indicated that each movement represented his impressions of that aspect of the New England region. It was first performed on October 23, 1959 by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
under Paul Paray.
:
A typical performance will last around 17 minutes.
While Piston disowned any specific programmatic intentions, he did not object if others made their own associations. The movement titles, he said,
s) are especially evocative with, for example, "amazingly life-like" bird and insect chirps and buzzes in "Summer Evening". The last movement, "Mountains", is—appropriate to its title—in an arched ABCBA form in which the sections are differentiated by tempo and expressive character: A is "Maestoso" and monumental, B is "Risoluto" and lively, and C is "Meno mosso" and atmospheric.
Walter Piston
Walter Hamor Piston Jr., , was an American composer of classical music, music theorist and professor of music at Harvard University whose students included Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter....
is a symphonic suite dating from 1959
1959 in music
-Events:*January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held.*January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan....
.
History
The Sketches were commissioned by the Worcester County Musical Association for its 100th Annual Music Festival, and is dedicated to the conductor Paul ParayPaul Paray
Paul Paray was a French conductor, organist and composer. He is best remembered in the United States for being the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade. He married Yolande Falck on 25 August 1944.-Biography:Paray's father, Auguste, was a sculptor and organist...
. They were composed in the summer of 1959 when Piston, as had become his habit, retreated to the Green Mountains
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...
in Vermont to work from a hilltop with a magnificent view spread out before him, While the composer did not consider it a symphony he stated that each of the three movements did conform to symphonic development and indicated that each movement represented his impressions of that aspect of the New England region. It was first performed on October 23, 1959 by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
under Paul Paray.
Analysis
The work is in three movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Seaside (Adagio)
- Summer Evening (Delicato)
- Mountains (Maestoso; Risoluto)
A typical performance will last around 17 minutes.
While Piston disowned any specific programmatic intentions, he did not object if others made their own associations. The movement titles, he said,
were the subjects that prompted me to compose. I did not intend to openly suggest the subject matter, but a man came up to me, following the premiere, and said, "I hope you don't mind my saying that I smelled clams during the first movement." I said, "No, that is quite all right. They are your clams." Each individual is free to interpret as he wishes.The first two movements (both of which are loose binary form
Binary form
Binary form is a musical form in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance....
s) are especially evocative with, for example, "amazingly life-like" bird and insect chirps and buzzes in "Summer Evening". The last movement, "Mountains", is—appropriate to its title—in an arched ABCBA form in which the sections are differentiated by tempo and expressive character: A is "Maestoso" and monumental, B is "Risoluto" and lively, and C is "Meno mosso" and atmospheric.