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Our performance of Henriëtte Bosmans’ Impressions, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt of the piano part from Movement II: Nuit calme.
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Henriëtte Bosmans was a Dutch-born composer who toured all across Europe. Her country, the Netherlands, has an interesting history, one of war, defeat, and victory. The people of the Netherlands wanted greater individual rights and freedoms, and fought to battle their government’s abuse of power. And years after this battle would conclude, Bosmans wrote her original composition, Impressions. The date of composition is currently unknown, but it was of course written during Bosmans’ lifetime, so its history aligns with hers. Indeed, Europe’s history would go to interesting places during Bosmans’ lifetime. Today, The Piano Histories podcast will share the history of Henriëtte Bosmans’ Impressions, as well as the history of the Netherlands.
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Our performance of George Gershwin’s Three Preludes, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt from Movement II.
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On July 20, 1925, Time magazine featured composer George Gershwin on its cover. At the time, Gershwin was redefining the American musical with smashing successes like his musical Lady Be Good! But musicals aren’t the only works Gershwin crafted. In the 1920’s, he began writing his piano preludes, which showcased the jazz-inspired elements of his compositional style. And that same decade would mark the beginning of the Prohibition in Gershwin’s country, America. The Prohibition was America’s nationwide ban on alcohol—selling, buying, importing, or otherwise obtaining alcoholic beverages. But, as we will soon discuss, people used other means outside the law to obtain alcohol—as they say, when there’s a will, there’s a way. And Gershwin, an American, would naturally be affected by the events that unfolded.
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Our performance of Ernest Bloch’s Poems of the Sea, B. 46, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt from Movement I: Waves.
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Ernest Bloch is known as an America composer, but despite this, he was not actually born in America. Bloch was born in Switzerland, and he became a United States citizen in the early 20th century. But shortly after Bloch came to America, things would begin to change. The government would pas new immigration acts, which greatly limited the immigrants allowed to come to America. While it would not affect Bloch directly, it is important to discuss, as it will provide a wider context for his arrival in America. And around the same time period as these acts being passes, Bloch would write his multi-movement piano piece, Poems of the Sea, B.46. It is a poetic work showcasing the character of the sea in each movement. And, as we will come to discuss, it showcases one immigrant’s victory against America’s racist policies.
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Our performance of Edward MacDowell’s Sea Pieces, Op. 55, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt from Movement II: From a Wandering Iceberg.
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Edward MacDowell was an American composer—and yet, his talent took him to places across Europe. He would go to France and Germany, and thus became a composer who was very well-traveled. He would return to America in 1896, and his return would align with important moments in American history. The People’s Party, a political party that aimed to help to American people, was founded by 2 very important individuals during this time, and it would only grow as time went on. And also during this time, MacDowell wrote his piano work, Sea Pieces, Op. 55. It is a work representing his continued time in America, and his progress as a composer. And it was written during a very important time for all Americans. Today, The Piano Histories Podcast will detail the history behind Edward MacDowell’s Sea Pieces, Op. 55, as well as part of the history of the People’s Party.
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Our performance of Florence Price’s The Goblin and the Mosquito, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro.
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Composer Florence Price was the first black woman to be recognized as a major composer. And she lived during a time when black people were artistically flourishing. The Harlem Renaissance had begun, and it caused the advancement of many talented African American people. Many other important moments in African American history also came about before and during this time, including the Pan-African Conferences and the Great Migration. And in the aftermath of these accomplishments, Florence Price wrote her piano work, The Goblin and the Mosquito. Today, The Piano Histories Podcast will detail the history behind Florence Price’s The Goblin and the Mosquito, as well as part of the history of the United States & the Harlem Renaissance.
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Our performance of Stravinsky’s Tango, 1940, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt of the Tango.
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Composer Igor Stravinsky, born in Russia, would settle in America in 1940. But before that, there were his multiple United States tours. The first would take place in 1925, and during this tour, he would travel to New York City, the place where he would come to settle in 1940. The second tour would take place in 1935, and the third in 1937. And his tours would coincide with a very important time in American history: the Great Depression. But things would improve by the time Stravinsky settled in America in 1940. And that same year, Stravinsky would write his piano piece, Tango. Today, The Piano Histories Podcast will detail the history behind Igor Stravinsky’s Tango, 1940, as well as part of the history of the United States & the Great Depression.
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Our performance of Granados’ Goyescas, Op.11, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt from Movement II, Coloquio en la Reja
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Enrique Granados was born in Lleida, a city in Catalonia, Spain, but the journey of his musical career would take him all the way to New York City in the United States. The city, and indeed, places around America, were experiencing great changes due to the rise of the Progressivism, which changed the country for years to come. And World War I would also begin during this time, which affected Europe greatly. Tied to Granados’ eventual trip to New York City was his piano suite, Goyescas. This work was later adopted by Granados into an opera, and it is thanks to this that the composer became connected to New York City. Today, The Piano Histories Podcast will detail the history behind Enrique Granados’ Goyescas, Op.11, as well as part of the history of New York City and World War I.
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Our performance of Chaminade’s Marche Américaine, Op.131, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt from the Marche Américaine.
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Cécile Chaminade was a female composer who had the chance to tour the New World, America. Her career was an illustrious and notable one, and she had success all across Europe. And her time in America happened to coincide with a very important time for the history of America. The Progressive Era had begun, and the early 20th century was full of American women fighting for their rights, and making a difference in the lives of those around them. Today, The Piano Histories Podcast will detail the history behind Cécile Chaminade’s Marche Américaine, Op.131, as well as part of the history of feminism in America.
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Our performance of the piano part in Shostakovich’s Sonata No. 2, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes an excerpt from Movement I of the Sonata.
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In the midst of the time of Stalin’s Russia, composer Dmitri Shostakovich, unlike many of his contemporaries, was still living in Russia. And as a result, he would experience hardship and musical censorship within Stalin’s Russia. This is tied to the history of Shostakovich’s Piano Sonata No. 2, and its representation as an act of compliance against the music of Stalin’s Russia. Today, The Piano Histories Podcast will finish our saga on the Russian Revolution, and tell a story of Shostakovich in Stalin’s Russia.
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Our performance of the piano part in Ella Adayevskaya’s Sonata Greca, played by our host and pianist Eliana Zebro. This performance includes excerpts from Movement I - Proëmion.
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Ella Adayevskaya is a Russian composer who lived in an uncertain time—the time of the Russian Revolution. It was a time when peasants refused to give their crops to the government, soldiers mutinied from the fields of battle, and one man and his ideals would rise up to rule over all. This man, Vladimir Lenin, would cause Russia to be thrown into a new age of terror, one that would resonate for years to come. Today, The Piano Histories Podcast will share the history of Ella Adayevskaya, as well as more of the history of the Russian Revolution.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pianohistories.substack.com - Se mer
