Charles Ives and the American Influence
The composer that I chose to write is Charles Ives, an American composer who has been hailed as one of Americas greatest composers. Charles Ives may not be as well-known as other American composers but his work is every bit as important and influential. Much like America, Charles Ives was a blend of both traditional roots and innovation. He drew his inspiration from America’s contradictions and complexity as a society. His music had complex textures, layers, melodies, and harmonies all interlaced with each other to create bold and different music. Ives is known for his eerily expressive pieces like “The Unanswered Question” and “Central Park in the Dark”.
“The Unanswered Question” is an ominous and …show more content…
It was composed in 1906 and has been mated with “The Unanswered Question” as part of “Two Contemplations”, “Central Park in the Dark” displays numerous characteristics that can be considered or treated as “typical” in Ives’s work. Ives layers orchestral textures on top of each other to create yet another texturally rich song with a poly-harmonic atmosphere. Within this atmosphere Ives brings together the different segments of the orchestras in a clashing and contrasting manner (i.e. the eerily, static strings against the ragtime pianos against a brass street band). These combinations are a common theme in Ives work, and can be seen most notably in the above mentioned, “The Unanswered …show more content…
He quotes the song “Hello! Ma Baby” by Joseph E. Howard within the ragtime pianos and the “Washington Post March” by John P. Sousa. “This piece purports to be a picture-in-sounds of the sounds of nature and of happenings that men would hear some thirty or so years ago (before the combustion engine and radio monopolized the earth and air), when sitting on a bench in Central Park on a hot summer night.” (Shultis) The song was scored for flute, clarinet, trumpet, bassoon, piccolo, trombone, two pianos, strings, and percussion. Ives specifically wanted to utilize a grand piano and a player piano in order to create the proper melody and tempo to create the proper texture and timbres throughout the piece. Just like Ives other workings, he wanted the orchestral groups to be separated from each other in order to create a programmatic description of the song.
Central Park in the Dark is clearly a programmatic work, as can be derived from Ives’s own narrative describing the piece. Ives’s work relies on programmatic themes, enabling him to provide intelligent instruction through his solid scores. He was influenced by the beauty of America and the inter-social workings of American society. Because of his influences he was able to create multi-layered and textured music that was anything but normal. Charles Ives music will continue to directly influence the music no matter what
The composer that I chose to write is Charles Ives, an American composer who has been hailed as one of Americas greatest composers. Charles Ives may not be as well-known as other American composers but his work is every bit as important and influential. Much like America, Charles Ives was a blend of both traditional roots and innovation. He drew his inspiration from America’s contradictions and complexity as a society. His music had complex textures, layers, melodies, and harmonies all interlaced with each other to create bold and different music. Ives is known for his eerily expressive pieces like “The Unanswered Question” and “Central Park in the Dark”.
“The Unanswered Question” is an ominous and …show more content…
It was composed in 1906 and has been mated with “The Unanswered Question” as part of “Two Contemplations”, “Central Park in the Dark” displays numerous characteristics that can be considered or treated as “typical” in Ives’s work. Ives layers orchestral textures on top of each other to create yet another texturally rich song with a poly-harmonic atmosphere. Within this atmosphere Ives brings together the different segments of the orchestras in a clashing and contrasting manner (i.e. the eerily, static strings against the ragtime pianos against a brass street band). These combinations are a common theme in Ives work, and can be seen most notably in the above mentioned, “The Unanswered …show more content…
He quotes the song “Hello! Ma Baby” by Joseph E. Howard within the ragtime pianos and the “Washington Post March” by John P. Sousa. “This piece purports to be a picture-in-sounds of the sounds of nature and of happenings that men would hear some thirty or so years ago (before the combustion engine and radio monopolized the earth and air), when sitting on a bench in Central Park on a hot summer night.” (Shultis) The song was scored for flute, clarinet, trumpet, bassoon, piccolo, trombone, two pianos, strings, and percussion. Ives specifically wanted to utilize a grand piano and a player piano in order to create the proper melody and tempo to create the proper texture and timbres throughout the piece. Just like Ives other workings, he wanted the orchestral groups to be separated from each other in order to create a programmatic description of the song.
Central Park in the Dark is clearly a programmatic work, as can be derived from Ives’s own narrative describing the piece. Ives’s work relies on programmatic themes, enabling him to provide intelligent instruction through his solid scores. He was influenced by the beauty of America and the inter-social workings of American society. Because of his influences he was able to create multi-layered and textured music that was anything but normal. Charles Ives music will continue to directly influence the music no matter what