He was born in 1908 and continues, at more than a hundred years old, to write music of technically daunting, yet lyric and ebullient music. The day after the sonatas premiere on may 1922, vincent dindy wrote to his old friend. A discussion of elliott carter s piano sonata emphasized those compositional techniques which foreshadowed important compositional procedures in many of his later works. As jan swafford writes, however, carter, whose mature music would owe a great deal to ives. Elliott carter sheet music books scores buy online. Charlie tauber elliot carter sonata may be unfamiliar but i ask you to be openminded for this work and appreciate to. Few would recognize elliott carter in this description, yet it defines the core of his style. Exploring the chamber music of 4 of americas most noteworthy. In this score i have tried to find meaningful, personal ways of revealing the cellos vast array of wonderful possibilities.
Speculative speculations for flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, viola and cello and was premiered november 14, 2009 at the a. Florida state university libraries electronic theses, treatises and dissertations the graduate school 2007 the twentieth centurys most significant. The two cello sonatas are among the masterpieces of the cello repertoire, looking back to the nineteenth century but also with an edginess that may well reflect the time in which they were. Ives supported carters musical pursuits as a young man and remained a guiding influence throughout his career. Piano sonata 194546 by elliott carter 1908 solo part.
I fear that many who have this cd may try this work once, decide it is not for them and never play it again. At 16 befriended by ives, who took him to concerts of mus. Below is a collection of digitized musical excerpts from original sketches for elliot carters cello sonata. Cello concerto for cello and orchestra elliott carter, composer.
He employs elements of serial writing, composes in a virtually free rhythmic manner, and employs new instrumental effects in the manner of bartok. An analytical study of elliott carters piano sonata ubc. Sonata for flute, oboe, cello, and harpsichord elliott carter is one of the foremost modern american composers. I want to tell you that im still under the spell of your beautiful cello sonata. Sonata for flute, oboe, cello and harpsichord for flute, oboe. Carter continued his education at harvard and then studied with nadia boulanger in paris. The second part is an analysis of elliott carters use of rhythm, tempo and time in two pieces, figment for solo cello and shard for solo guitar. It was awarded a prize in 1945 by broadcast music, inc. Apr 05, 2014 the cello sonata of elliott carter, a landmark composition for its time 1948, remains a major cornerstone in todays repertoire. Andrew rosenblum and sam ericsson youtube 3 hours chopin for studying, concentration, relaxation duration. Cello concerto by elliott carter tanglewood festival of. The music of elliott carter college music symposium.
This video was filmed at the dress rehearsal for a performance by juilliard student dane johansen with the juilliard orchestra conducted by james levine. In the mid40s, however, carter decided that the style he had employed to that point avoided some important modes of expression. Elliot carter sketches for cello sonata on score exchange. Associated sonata 1948 cello and piano string solo. Carter, e cello sonata piano sonata greenhouse, makas. Ursula oppens, piano elliott carter, was born in new york in 1908. April 30, 2016 duncan recital hall, houston, tx cellist. Piano sonata 1945 compositions elliott carter, composer. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments.
Born in new york city on 11 december 1908, elliott carter began to be seriously interested in music in high school and was encouraged at that time by charles ives. Elliott carter is known as one of the leading pioneers and avantgardes of music of the twentieth century. Elliot carters use of the long melodic line presented by brian eisenberg and the library of congress. Subsequent works, such as the 1946 piano sonata and the 1948 cello sonata, employ more dissonance and rhythmic complexity. Phoenix 141 1998 bernard greenhouse, cello anthony makas, piano beveridge webster, piano. Concerto for orchestra, double concerto for harpsichord and piano with two chamber orchestras, 8 etudes. Double concerto for harpsichord by elliott carter, arthur weisbergcontemporary chamber ensemble. This is an excellent place to start your exploration of carters vast and imaginative work. Books on elliott carter allan edwards, flawed words and stubborn sounds, 1972 charles rosen, the musical languages of elliott carter, 1985 william t. Commissioned by the chicago symphony for the amazing yoyo ma, who has given outstanding performances of my 1948 cello sonata, the score was composed in new york city and southbury, connecticut during 2000.
It looks back to copland, debussy and stravinsky, forwards to the first quartet and beyond. In the variety and quality of his invention, the aged faure was every bit the equal of verdior elliott carter. December 11, 1908 november 5, 2012 was an american modernist composer. Piano performance juilliard school a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of musical arts in the faculty of graduate studies school of music we accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard the. On another occasion, carter described ivess inclusion of popular songs and hymns as constantly perplexing edwards 1971. This chronological fourdisc survey of what we have come to think of as elliott carters middle period, from his mid thirties to his early seventies, is not comprehensive.
Elliott carters output from the 1930s and 40s, in contrast to the almost exclusive. Sonata for flute, oboe, cello and harpsichord for flute. Elliott carter s output from the 1930s and 40s, in contrast to the almost exclusive devotion to instrumental music in later years, is dominated by choral and vocal works. Eight pieces for four timpani 19491966 at the end of the 1940s, elliott carter was attempting to find the elements of a musical thinking, to discover what the fact of formulating musical statements signified fundamentally, in particular in the eight pieces for four timpani 19491966, the string quartet no. Carters signature complex crossrhythms are present but they are delightfully airy and not at all forbidding. Beethovens great d major sonata, the sultry grand tango by piazzolla and chopins effervescent polonaise brillante, op.
This composition contains literal snippets and gestures from, as well as stylistic allusions to, two ives pieces. He is one of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century, having combined elements of european modernism and american ultramodernism into a distinctive style with a personal harmonic and rhythmic language, after an. From the date of his first acknowledged composition, incidental music for sophocles philoctetes 1933, to his first fully characteristic one, the piano sonata 194546, 15 out of 21 works are vocal. Associated sonata 1948 cello and piano string solo series. Carter, these formidable performances of the cello sonata and the piano sonata by no less than bernard greenhouse and beveridge webster are considered by many the definitive performances. Cello sonata completed on december 11, 1948, his fortieth birthday, thefourmovement cello sonata was carters breakthrough piece. Elliott carters cello concerto is a remarkable piece, with a sparing and pointillist orchestration which dramatically responds to and allies itself to the cello part, creating as alisa weilerstein says, a oneonone conversation. The fanfare is a canon in four parts at the unison. A biobibliography, 1993 elliott carter, collected essays and lectures, 19371995, jonathan w. The canonic suite for quartet of alto saxophones is a revision, made in 1981, of the suite for quartet of alto saxophones. In the cello sonata 1948 the principles of metric modulation were well established. Elliott carter biography elliott carter childhood, life and. Carter, e cello sonata piano sonata greenhouse, makas, b.
Carter developed his notion of metrical modulation, in which one tempo leads gradually to another through changing the note values in different voices of the ensemble. Elliott carter biography elliott carter childhood, life. Matribute solo instrumental eight pieces for four timpani, 195066 changes for guitar, 1983 scrivo in vento for flute, 1991 gra for clarinet,1993 also version for trombone figment for cello, 1994 a 6 letter letter for english horn, 1996 shard for guitar, 1997. A disturbing lack of musical and stylistic continuity. Elliott carter is known as one of the leading pioneers and avantgardes of music of the.
Here is elliott carter writing for the cello 52 years later. Elliott carter, charles ives, and musical borrowing. In view of these and numerous other statements, it is equally perplexing that carter borrows from ivess music on several occasions, most overtly in his 2001 figment no. Carters piano sonata 194546 marked a turning point in his stylistic development.
The piano sonata written in 1945 and 1946 is the greatest achievement of carters early years. Andante elliott carter s output from the 1930s and 40s, in contrast to the almost. Cello sonata play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical music site on the web. Nonetheless, the piano sonata, composed during 1945 and 1946, stands out as presaging the textural and coloristic spectrum that would characterize carter s later.
There are stillsignificant reminders of his neoclassicism including the entire second movement, which he actually composed first but the melodic, harmonic,contrapuntal, and aesthetic concerns that have. Reproduction rights this programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the. While a student at the horace mann school, he came to know charles ives. The harmonic idiom of the sonata sums up the possibilities of pandiatonicism. In what follows, i explore the ways in which carter borrows from ives both literally and figuratively. Elliott carter and charles ives shared a complex personal and professional relationship. Andante elliott carters output from the 1930s and 40s, in contrast to the almost. Born in new york city on 11 december 1908, elliott carter began to be seriously interested in music in high school and was encouraged at. A discussion of elliott carters piano sonata emphasized those compositional techniques which foreshadowed important compositional procedures in many of his later works. Cello sonata 1948 woodwind quintet 1948 eight etudes and a fantasy for wind quartet 1949 string quartet no. The sonata for flute, oboe, cello and harpsichord is immediately appealing. Musical works of elliott carter 19082012 stage works.
Concerto for orchestra, double concerto for harpsichord and piano with two chamber orchestras, 8 etudes and a fantasy for woodwind. The company was formed in 1930 through the merger of two wellestablished british. The cello sonata of elliott carter, a landmark composition for its time 1948, remains a major cornerstone in todays repertoire. The complete listing of works by composer elliott carter. The cello concerto, written for yoyo ma, was composed in 2000 and premiered september 27th, 2001. Piano performance juilliard school a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of musical arts in the faculty of graduate studies school of music we.
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