american composers

[Nordlys]

  A question for you who are piano students in the US: do you play the repertoire of the american composers? Or do you only play Chopin (like we all do)?
  I know these composers wrote some piano music: Louis Gottschalk, Samuel Barber, Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, Edward MacDowell and others. But I never hear their music performed. How about you?  I would like to know if you can recommend some interesting music.

[rachlisztchopin]

you can buy a pretty big cd of lots of american piano music at https://www.cdsheetmusic.com/amerconctoc.html

[amanfang]

Try Lowell Liebermann.

www.lowellliebermann.com

I am playing the 4th nocturne right now.  I do like Barber a lot too.  I have also played some Cowell - he did a lot with clusters.  Gottschalk is not particularly appealing to me overall.  Not to say that I can never find anything I like, but in an overall sense, it doesn't grab me.  There's Gershwin too - his preludes are fairly popular.

[joell12068]

Gottschalk is not particularly appealing to me overall. 

On the contrary, Gottschalk is one of my favorites.  I do admit that his works do not rise to the level of importance of many piano composers, they are still quite nice.

Sadly though, there are very very few piano works by American composers that have become "standard repertoire".  Of course the Barber Sonata is one of the most important.  Other that the composers already mentioned, I could add one name to the list.... Mrs. H.H.A. (Amy Marcy Cheney) Beach  wrote some very nice solo piano works and a piano concerto.  Unfortunately, these too are only rarely performed.

[Shagdac]

Gottschalk is probably my favorite composer. I think its a shame he is so underated as a composer. Many have referred to him as the "Chopin of the Creole". I'm playing one of his pieces "The Union" at a recital December 4th, and hope I can do it justice.  This was a piece that was dedicated to the Union forces and General McClellen, which includes parts of the "Star Spangled Banner", "Yankee Doodle" and "Hail Columbia".
In my opinion, he has many great pieces, including 4-hands, 2 piano pieces as well.
I hope you have a chance to listen to much of his works, as while they are not for everyone, I have certainly enjoyed them.

S

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

MacDowell's piano sonatas are wonderful. The only problem is, it's hard to find a decent recording of them.

[DarkWind]

I'm currently attempting to learn Barber's Sonata. It's an incredible piece of music which takes a lot of time to learn in musical terms as well as technical terms. Lots of interesting ways to look at some voices, and which parts to bring about.

[ted]

I consider David Thomas Roberts to be one of America's finest living composers of piano music. Have a listen to his "New Orleans Streets" or to some of his ragtime.

[dlu]

I'm not sure if she's written any piano music YET but Jennifer Higdon is an American Master! Listen to her Concerto for Orchestra! NOW!!!  Jk...it's spectacular....

[Nordlys]

Thank you for this insight!

Of course, Gershwin is popular, especially the rhapsody in blue.

The Barber sonata interests me.  DarkWind, will you post a recording here when you have learned it?