"Washington's Folio. Original publisher's stiff printed wrappers. 1f. (title), pp. 3-20, [i] (notes), [i] (blank). Publisher's catalogue to inner lower wrappers. Toning, front cover with some tears and small losses to upper edge and lower right corner, where creased throughout, ownership stamp to title, else fine. De Lerma H75.
It took Ives from 1897 to 1913 to complete all four movements of A Symphony: New England Holidays, also known as A New England Holiday Symphony. The first movement, Washington's Birthday, was finished in 1909, then rescored and published in 1913 and takes place on George Washington's birthday and explores the snowed-in claustrophobia of winter. The piece begins like someone whistling aimlessly. Ives transforms this music into something mournful by harmonizing it with trembling strings.
From this bleak, snowy moonscape, Ives brings his audience into the sweaty bustle of a barn dance. Fragments of Camptown Races and Turkey in the Straw can be heard in the din.
Composers before Ives, notably Béla Bartók and Maurice Ravel, had referenced folk music in their work. In most cases, they "corrected" the roughness of folk performers to conform to art music expectations. Not Ives. He kept all the "wrong" notes and worked hard to notate the music so a classically trained musician could play it.
The barn dance music gets wilder until it comes to a complete confrontational crunch. Then, a serene melody floats out, like sentimental parlor music. While that plays, a separate strand of music weaves into the composition, as if a musician on the back porch of the dance is playing something just for herself. The movement ends with more winter harmonies.
"Washington's Folio. Original publisher's stiff printed wrappers. 1f. (title), pp. 3-20, [i] (notes), [i] (blank). Publisher's catalogue to inner lower wrappers. Toning, front cover with some tears and small losses to upper edge and lower right corner, where creased throughout, ownership stamp to title, else fine. De Lerma H75.
It took Ives from 1897 to 1913 to complete all four movements of A Symphony: New England Holidays, also known as A New England Holiday Symphony. The first movement, Washington's Birthday, was finished in 1909, then rescored and published in 1913 and takes place on George Washington's birthday and explores the snowed-in claustrophobia of winter. The piece begins like someone whistling aimlessly. Ives transforms this music into something mournful by harmonizing it with trembling strings.
From this bleak, snowy moonscape, Ives brings his audience into the sweaty bustle of a barn dance. Fragments of Camptown Races and Turkey in the Straw can be heard in the din.
Composers before Ives, notably Béla Bartók and Maurice Ravel, had referenced folk music in their work. In most cases, they "corrected" the roughness of folk performers to conform to art music expectations. Not Ives. He kept all the "wrong" notes and worked hard to notate the music so a classically trained musician could play it.
The barn dance music gets wilder until it comes to a complete confrontational crunch. Then, a serene melody floats out, like sentimental parlor music. While that plays, a separate strand of music weaves into the composition, as if a musician on the back porch of the dance is playing something just for herself. The movement ends with more winter harmonies.