1926
OK once more i am sort of copping out by doing music everyone knows (and that wikipedia does a pretty reasonable entry on). who hasn't heard these preludes?
these are great examples of early 20th century american classical music, infusing jazz and coming out with all-american favorites.
here's gershwin himself.
a very unsentimental recording. turn up the volume.
here's something different:
part 1 is based on that famous five note motif with the bluesy half step at the beginning. standard a-b-a form with lots of virtuosic jazzy octave embellishments in the return.
part 2 is the paragon of bluesy blues. notice how gershwin himself doesn't even bother to swing anything (whereas virtually everything in the very cheesy bernstein recording is swung, and he even adds his own section...) the thing to notice in this movement is the bass line/accompaniment: classic blues chords (the chromatic line moving above perfect intervals, and then in the middle a sort of walking bass).
part 3 is a highly syncopated, in your face display of virtuosity that has become known as "the spanish prelude" of the three. the exposition has a recurring melody that forms a minor half answered by a major half.
In that video of Gershwin himself playing, the third prelude played there is noted to be "Prelude No.3: Andante from Rhapsody in blue".
ReplyDeleteThis is surely not the third prelude, the 'Spanish preclude' you're alluding to that we're expecting!