Piano Music By William Grant Still And Other Black Composers / Gaylord
Release Date: 09/28/1993
Label: Music & Arts Programs Of America Catalog #: 737 Spars Code: DDD
Composer: William Grant Still, Howard Swanson, R. Nathaniel Dett, Ulysses S. Kay, ...
Performer: Monica Gaylord
Number of Discs: 1
Recorded in: Stereo
Length: 1 Hours 17 Mins.
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Works on This Recording
1.
Three Visions by William Grant Still
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1936; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1936; USA
2.
Seven Traceries by William Grant Still
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1939; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1939; USA
3.
The Cuckoo by Howard Swanson
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
4.
In the Bottoms by R. Nathaniel Dett
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1913; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1913; USA
5.
Inventions (4) for Piano: in G minor by Ulysses S. Kay
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
6.
Inventions (4) for Piano: in A minor by Ulysses S. Kay
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
7.
Inventions (4) for Piano: in C major by Ulysses S. Kay
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
8.
Gentle Waltz for Piano by Oscar Peterson
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Notes: Transcribed: D. McErlain
Period: 20th Century
Notes: Transcribed: D. McErlain
9.
Black, Brown and Beige Suite: Come Sunday by Edward "Duke" Ellington
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; New York, USA
Notes: Transcribed: D. McErlain
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; New York, USA
Notes: Transcribed: D. McErlain
10.
Valse-Suite for Piano, Op. 71 "Three-fours": no 1 in A minor by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1909; England
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1909; England
11.
Valse-Suite for Piano, Op. 71 "Three-fours": no 2 in A flat major by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1909; England
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1909; England
12.
Valse-Suite for Piano, Op. 71 "Three-fours": no 6 in C minor by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1909; England
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1909; England
13.
Appalachia: Big Bunch of Roses by Work, John Wesley, Jr.
Performer:
Monica Gaylord (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Notes and Editorial Reviews
The average birthdate of
these eight composers is 1900, and the youngest of them, Oscar
Peterson, is sixty-seven. So this is a nostalgic look at the music of
black composers; there is no Anthony Davis here. William Grant Still's
music has flowed into the cracks of our national musical heritage; I
call a composer great who has created a single masterpiece, and Still's
“A Black Pierrot“ from his Songs of Separation is as haunting a song as
Schubert or Wolf ever composed. Three Visions are evocative miniature
tone poems and the Seven Traceries are impressionist sound paintings.
Howard Swanson's The Cuckoo is a light, gay scherzo and trio, with the
bird cuckooing away in one hand while the other flies all over the
keyboard.
Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) studied with Nadia Boulanger, earned
degrees from Oberlin and Eastman, conducted choral societies, performed
before presidents, and was awarded honorary doctorates from Harvard and
Oberlin. His In the Bottoms depicts “black man's slave camps at the
river's edge.“ The five pieces go from somber contemplation to a gay
dance. Ulysses Kay's three Inventions are brief, formal pieces. John
Wesley Work, Jr., studied at Columbia and Yale and became chairman of
the music department at Fisk University. His Big Bunch of Roses starts
with a Negro folk tune and develops in a colorful and relaxed way. Oscar
Peterson's The Gentle Waltz is languorous and jazzy and sweet, Duke
Ellington's Come Sunday is a soft, flowing hymn with a touch of the
blues; both pieces are played in arrangements by jazz pianist Denny
McErlain.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was another master composer; every work of his I
have heard is at least worthy, often inspired. His suite of three
waltzes—Allegro molto, Andante, Allegro assai— stands out even among all
this lovely music. It has warmth, individuality, melodic charm, and a
sturdy, upright dignity without a hint of pomposity that is his own
special character. Monica Gaylord studied at Juilliard and Eastman and
has played throughout the United States and Canada. She has a beautiful
touch for these winning works, and when it comes to Coleridge-Taylor's
heroic final coda, she peals forth bronze thunder; if this were a live
recital, it would bring down the house. The pianist also writes the
notes, in which she shows herself to be a knowledgeable historian and a
fine writer. A fine recording rounds out the assets of this lovely disc.
-- James H. North, FANFARE [3/1993]
[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912); R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943); Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974); Ulysses Simpson Kay (1917-1995) William
Grant Still (1895-1978) are profiled at AfriClassical.com, which
features a comprehensive Works List for Coleridge-Taylor, Dett, Kay and Still by Prof. Dominique-René de
Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com]
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