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Java Suite
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Java Suite
The Java Suite (originally published as Phonoramas. Tonal journeys for the pianoforte) is a suite for solo piano by Leopold Godowsky, composed between 1924 and 1925. It consists of twelve movements and is influenced by the gamelan music of Java, Indonesia, extensively utilizing pentatonic harmonies throughout.
Godowsky remarked in the work's preface:
"Having travelled extensively in many lands, some near and familiar, others remote and strange, it occurred to me that a musical portrayal of some of the interesting things I had been privileged to see, a tonal description of the impressions and emotions they had awakened, would interest those who are attracted by adventure and picturesqueness and inspired by their poetic reactions.
Who is not at heart a globe-trotter? Are we not all fascinated by distant countries and strange people? And so the thought gradually matured in me to recreate my roaming experiences. This cycle of musical travelogues-tonal journeys-which i have name collectively "Phonoramas", begins with a series of twelve descriptive scenes in java."
The suite consists of twelve movements, divided into four parts. Godowsky composed the work under the influence of gamelan music after a visit to Java. A typical performance of the work lasts approximately 50 minutes. The first complete recording of the entire Suite was made in 2000 by Esther Budiardjo, on Pro Piano Records CD PPR224529. Since then, it’s been recorded by Konstantin Scherbakov (Marco Polo) and Carl Petersson (Sterling Records). The Gardens of Buitenzorg is recorded by several other pianists like Marc-André Hamelin and is the only piece that get recorded regularly.
Although the Java suite is published as a whole, it wasn’t meant to be performed in its entirety. The suite is divided into four equal parts, each containing three pieces whose tonal schemes correlate, creating a unified whole. Furthermore, each book is structured in the same manner: each book starts with a character piece, followed by a slow movement and ending with a brilliant showstopper.
The first book starts in A minor. The second piece too, continues in A minor, though it ends on an E major-chord, creating an imperfect cadence which resolves into the third and final piece.
The tonal schemes of the first piece of the second book mirrors in the third piece. Both have a ternary structure, but the first one is in C major with a middle section in E major while the third piece is in E major with a middle section in C major. The middle piece is in E minor, a tonality both close to C major and E major.
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Java Suite
The Java Suite (originally published as Phonoramas. Tonal journeys for the pianoforte) is a suite for solo piano by Leopold Godowsky, composed between 1924 and 1925. It consists of twelve movements and is influenced by the gamelan music of Java, Indonesia, extensively utilizing pentatonic harmonies throughout.
Godowsky remarked in the work's preface:
"Having travelled extensively in many lands, some near and familiar, others remote and strange, it occurred to me that a musical portrayal of some of the interesting things I had been privileged to see, a tonal description of the impressions and emotions they had awakened, would interest those who are attracted by adventure and picturesqueness and inspired by their poetic reactions.
Who is not at heart a globe-trotter? Are we not all fascinated by distant countries and strange people? And so the thought gradually matured in me to recreate my roaming experiences. This cycle of musical travelogues-tonal journeys-which i have name collectively "Phonoramas", begins with a series of twelve descriptive scenes in java."
The suite consists of twelve movements, divided into four parts. Godowsky composed the work under the influence of gamelan music after a visit to Java. A typical performance of the work lasts approximately 50 minutes. The first complete recording of the entire Suite was made in 2000 by Esther Budiardjo, on Pro Piano Records CD PPR224529. Since then, it’s been recorded by Konstantin Scherbakov (Marco Polo) and Carl Petersson (Sterling Records). The Gardens of Buitenzorg is recorded by several other pianists like Marc-André Hamelin and is the only piece that get recorded regularly.
Although the Java suite is published as a whole, it wasn’t meant to be performed in its entirety. The suite is divided into four equal parts, each containing three pieces whose tonal schemes correlate, creating a unified whole. Furthermore, each book is structured in the same manner: each book starts with a character piece, followed by a slow movement and ending with a brilliant showstopper.
The first book starts in A minor. The second piece too, continues in A minor, though it ends on an E major-chord, creating an imperfect cadence which resolves into the third and final piece.
The tonal schemes of the first piece of the second book mirrors in the third piece. Both have a ternary structure, but the first one is in C major with a middle section in E major while the third piece is in E major with a middle section in C major. The middle piece is in E minor, a tonality both close to C major and E major.