It can be argued that, far from being restrictive and stifling, rules and parameters create conditions for the ultimate creativity.
Such is the case with the music of American composer Walter Piston (1894-1976), with its sublime contrapuntal lines and adherence to neoclassical structure and form. Born in Rockland, Maine, Piston taught for many years at Harvard University, and contributed three significant text books on the technical building blocks of music: Harmony (1941), Counterpoint (1947), and Orchestration (1955). Aaron Copland called him “one of the most expert craftsmen American music can boast.”
The statement could be taken as a left-handed compliment. Piston’s greatest music is far from academic. It unfolds with a sense of freshness, vibrance, and inevitability.
As a young man, Piston played the violin in dance and theater bands. While serving as a musician in the U.S. Navy Band during the First World War, he taught himself to play numerous wind instruments. The results of this investigation can be heard in Piston’s music. “I must say I’ve always composed music from the point of view of the performers,” the composer once remarked. “I love instruments, and I value the cooperation of performers. I believe in the contribution of the player to the music as written. I am very old-fashioned that way.”
Piston’s three-movement Sinfonietta for chamber orchestra was composed in 1941 for the conductor, Bernard Zinghera. The first movement (Allegro grazioso) unfolds with a sense of restless anxiety. One remarkable passage in the development section evokes the mysterious, eternal dialogue of Ives’ The Unanswered Question (2:25).
Beginning with dense, cloudy string sonorities, the second movement (Adagio) is haunting and introspective. A lamenting musical conversation develops among instruments, including the oboe, horn, and flute. Building to a passionate, anguished climax, the music falls back. We find ourselves traversing a mysterious, fleeting harmonic landscape before the final bars fade back into the shadows.
The jubilant final movement (Allegro vivo) sweeps all the gloom away with giddy irregular rhythms and exhilarating instrumental conversations. The contrapuntal dialogue includes a vigorous fugue just before the euphoric final cadence.
I. Allegro grazioso:
II. Adagio:
III. Allegro vivo:
Recordings
- Piston: Sinfonietta, Gerard Schwarz, New York Chamber Symphony Naxos
Featured Image: “Road and houses, South Truro” (1930-1933), Edward Hopper