Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884–1920), an early 20th-century American composer, passed away at the height of his career due to illness. However, when considering the three main periods of his creative output, it is evident that Griffes developed a rich and varied musical vocabulary, deeply influenced by the Impressionist style.
Griffes's The White Peacock (1915/1917) is inspired by the poetry of William Sharp (1855-1905). This paper aims to explore the process of transforming the poem into a piano piece and then into an orchestral version, examining the entire journey of "sound-painting" through these stages. The research will also cover Griffes' background, a musical analysis of the work, and a brief biography of William Sharp.
How Griffes establishes the connection between auditory and visual in music is the focus of this article. The pitch organization in this particular work seems to be a rational arrangement, employing common harmonies such as the French augmented-sixth, half-diminished seventh, and dominant chords. However, he frequently resolves these harmonies in unconventional ways—adding extra notes, or superimposing two different chords, which not only blurs the tonality but also makes the auditory effect more perceptual.
Additionally, adapting the original piano work into an orchestral version is akin to transforming a black-and-white sketch into a vibrant watercolor painting. While the piano version is already striking in its own right, the orchestration expands the timbral and tonal possibilities of the original melody. As demonstrated in the author’s analysis, these enhancements go beyond the inherent differences in timbre and sound continuity between piano and orchestral instruments, further enriching the musical texture.
Graduation Recital Program:
1. "The Sounds of the City" for cello and piano
2. "Song without Words"for bass and piano
3. "Lonesome Moonbeam" for soprano and piano
4. "Drunken Moon"for flute and piano
5. "Drunken Moon" symphonie fantastique
6. "Barbie Girl Fugue" for piano
7. "Detective Conan Fugue" for piano
8. "Fire and Ice" for bass and piano
9. "Dreaming of My Mirror" for soprano, percussion and piano