The purpose of this study is to discuss the interpretations and performance of this special work. The chapter included composition’s background, music structure and performance practice.
The piece is combined within four opusculums, which are The White Peacock, Nightfall, The Fountain of the Acqua Paola,and Clouds.
The White Peacock describes a rare, oriental white bird. Griffes showed a peacock in its pride, glory, and gestures when it struts throughout accurate music manners to the most.
Nightfall, the second piece, describes the scowl, desolating spectacles of the nightfall. Griffes adapted caliginous syncopations and chords, also using ostinato to express the lights in the song.
The Fountain of the Acqua Paola, is styled and harmonized more traditionally among all four pieces, like both Ravel and Liszt’s “Music of Water”. For example, both the pieces, Jeux d’ Eau, published in 1901 and Les Jeux d’ Eau a La Villa d’ Este, during 1870-77. This piece starts with the left hand performing the main theme, then the right hand playing the arpeggio in the form of diverged chords; this is thus a successful way to catch the foams and sprays shining under the sunshine.
Clouds,the usage of bitonality makes it the most audacious piece comparing to other three; it mainly tells how various and unpredictable the clouds are through the
notes and melody.
Additionally, the discussion will included practicing tips on technique, rhythm, tone color and pedaling. The work has many effects and influence from impressionism. Griffes always quoted British poet William Sharp’s poems as foreword, thus the prose will also bring up a brief introduction of the connection between the music and the poems so that offered deeper expressions and understandings
in performing this work.
Program：
J.S.Bach (1685-1750)：
Well-Tempered Clavichord Ⅰ.Prelude & Fugue in eb minor
BWV853.
Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920)：
Roman Sketches. Op.7.
Ludwig.van Beethoven (1770-1827)：
32 Variatioen für Klavier über ein eigenes Thema.WoO80
F.Liszt(1811-1886)：
Etudes d'exécution transcendante. No.11
F.Liszt(1811-1886)：Mephisto-Walzer.