Twelve New Etudes for Piano (1977–1986) is a piece composed by William Bolcom (b. 1938), awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1988,[1] while he was teaching composition at University of Michigan.[2]
The set is "new" relative to Bolcom's first set of Twelve Etudes for Piano (1959–1966; released on Advance FGR-14S in 1971[3]), and was intended for and dedicated to Paul Jacobs, who died before the composition was complete, and thus the finished set is dedicated to Jacobs, John Musto, and Marc-André Hamelin.[4]
One of Bolcom's goals in composing the New Etudes was the fusion of tonal and what he has called "non-centered" or non-tonal elements..."a musical speech that is at once coherent and comprehensible and in constant expansion."[4]
They are composed in a language that brings together elements of tonality and dense chromaticism.[5]
Musto gave a partial premiere in 1986,[4] and Hamelin premiered the complete Etudes in 1987,[6][7] and recorded the pieces on New World Records in 1988 (80354).[8]
The New Etudes are divided into four books of three pieces:[4]
References
edit- ^ Fischer, Heinz Dietrich (2010). The Pulitzer Prize Winners for Music, p. 192. Peter Lang. ISBN 9783631596081.
- ^ Materka, Pat Roessle (May/June 1988). "Your University", The Michigan Alumnus, Volumes 93–95, p. 17. UM Libraries.
- ^ Lewis, Thomas P.; ed. (1990). Something About the Music, Vol. 2, p. 104. Pro/Am Music Resources.
- ^ a b c d Morrison, Chris. New Etudes (12) for piano at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ Kozinn, Allan (1988). "Recordings: How the Spell Was Broken for Bolcom's Etudes", The New York Times. Accessed: 1 August 2018.
- ^ "William Bolcom", Pulitzer.org. Accessed: 1 August 2018.
- ^ (2006). Contemporary Musicians, Volume 54, p. 28. Gale Research. ISBN 9780787680671.
- ^ Bolcom: Etudes No. 1–12; Wolpe: Battle Piece at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
Further reading
edit- Jones, Henry Scott (1994). William Bolcom's Twelve New Etudes for Piano (Doctor of Musical Arts thesis). Louisiana State University. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
