[Sid James]

I haven't heard any of Griffes other works, but judging from his Piano Sonata, he was not (only?) an "impressionist." It sounds quite different to the piano works I know of Debussy or Ravel, just how I can't explain, but it "fits in" more with the American tradition of Ives (but different as well?).

In any case, I hate the term "impressionist" because I think it sells short composers like especially Debussy (but also Ravel & even Duparc?). These guys were early modernists for sure, that would be a better term, I think. Just listen to Debussy's Jeux - would you describe that as "impressionist?" It explores previously uncharted realms of tonality, thematic development & colour, it's every bit as revolutionary as anything done by Schoenberg at the time. & what of Debussy's Violin Sonata, which anticipated the later trend towards "neo-classicism?" - what does that have to do with so-called "impressionism," I ask?...

 

[Sid James]

Posted this on the "Exploring modern & contemporary music" thread & thought I'd put it here also -

Charles Tomlinson GRIFFES (1884-1920)
Piano Sonata in F sharp minor (1919)

Just sneaking in to the "modern" bracket, I thought I'd share this as I've been getting into it this week. An interesting work, bringing together European influences of the time with something different. Griffes studied with Humperdinck in Berlin, but was also interested in the French trends represented by Debussy & Ravel. Pianist Harold Bauer wrote of this sonata that it was "a splendid piece of writing, broad and noble in outline...From a man who can write such music, we may look for even greater things." Sadly, Griffes died prematurely in his thirties, before the next year was out. Listening to this, I kind of think like he may well have been an "Ives in embryo."

This piano sonata is in three movements, performed without a break. It incorporates whole-tone chords as well as pentatonic scales (listen to the predominance of the black keys esp. in the middle movt.). There is an overall "Oriental" feel, but also some of the rhythms of Native American music/chant, which is esp. apparent in the jaunty final movt. I can hear knowledge of J.S. Bach's counterpoint in here too, combined with a "Romantic" Lisztian tinge. Here is is on youtube, played by an unnamed pianist -

Whole work lasts about 15 mins.
I. Feroce - Allegretto con moto - Tempo primo - Tranquillamente / II. Molto tranquillo - Appassionato (10:07, second movt. starts about 6:45)

III. Allegro vivace - Appassionato - Lento - Presto (4:25)

HERE is the EMI disc I have, which incl. the Griffes sonata, as well as sonatas of Roger Sessions (which I posted about earlier) & also Charles Ives.

 

[Sid James]

Thanks for listening, Weston. It seems a lot of people (those that replied to this thread, anyway) seem to be more familiar with Griffes' orch. works, but I have started the other way, with this piano sonata.

Re your "heavy handed" question, I'm not sure about the subtleties, but the notes of the EMI disc does say that the opening (marked feroce) can come as a bit of a "shock." Overall, I have a feeling that Griffes was a bit more "full on" than Debussy & Ravel usually were. A bit of that American "brashness?"

The two discs (sold seperately) on EMI which I have, with the pianist Peter Lawson playing a selection of seminal American sonatas from c.1900-c.1950 - by Griffes, Ives, Copland, Barber, Carter, Sessions - has been my "gateway" into this repertoire. I'd basically recommend it to anyone, all of the works have been interesting for me, but a number of them have taken a long while (over a year) to "click." I can hear their differences more now than I did at first. A great set of recordings these two volumes are, imo...