Concerto in F is a composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and orchestra which is closer in form to a traditional concerto than the earlier jazz-influenced Rhapsody in Blue. It was written in 1925 on a commission from the conductor and director Walter Damrosch. It is just over half an hour long.
This article includes a, related reading or, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks. Please help to this article by more precise citations. ( October 2017) Three Preludes are short pieces by, which were first performed by the at the in in 1926. Each is a well-known example of early-20th-century, as influenced by.Gershwin originally planned to compose 24 preludes for this group of works. The number was reduced to seven in manuscript form, and then reduced to five in public performance, and further decreased to three when first published in 1926. Two of the remaining preludes not published were rearranged for solo violin and piano and published as. Of the other two, the Prelude in G was eliminated by the publisher because somewhat similar music had already appeared in Gershwin's.
The other was excluded for unknown reasons.Gershwin dedicated his Preludes to friend and musical advisor.The pieces have been arranged for solo instruments, small ensembles, and piano. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso The first prelude, in, begins with a five-note; virtually all the material in the piece is based on this theme. Rhythms based on the Brazilian and chords containing flattened sevenths occur throughout; these give the piece a strong feel.
Although these sounds are far from adventurous by modern standards, to the audiences of the late 1920s they were almost unheard of. Structurally, the piece is in; however, the impression on the listener is that of a. This effect is achieved by using snippets of various virtuoso techniques, such as repeated notes, and crossed hands, each of which is used for only a moment before the piece catches a flicker of some new idea.2. Andante con moto (not as published in 1927) The second Prelude, in, also has the distinct flavour of jazz. The piece begins with a subdued melody winding its way above a smooth, steady. The and melodies of this piece are built on, emphasizing both the interval of the seventh and the major/minor duality of the.
In the second section, the key, and thematic material all change; only the similarity of style binds the two sections together. The opening melody and bass return in the final section, more succinct but otherwise unchanged, and the piece ends with a slow ascent of the keyboard. Gershwin himself referred to the piece as 'a sort of blues lullaby.' Agitato (as marked in the manuscript, not as published) Gershwin himself called this prelude in 'Spanish', but modern ears may find the description puzzling.
After a brief and dramatic introduction, the main theme is revealed: two melodies that together form a question-and-answer pair. This theme is used throughout to provide harmonic structure. The 'question' is harmonized using E-flat, the 'answer' by E-flat. After a brief, highly middle section, the melodic pair returns assertively in octaves, causing a battle between major and minor. Major wins, and the piece concludes with a flourish.External links.: Scores at the (IMSLP).: A duet arrangement of the 1st Prelude.