Composer

:

Percy Grainger

Genre

:

Orchestral

Style

:

Orchestral

Compose Date

:

1919 - 1929

Publication Date

:

1930

Average_duration

:

4:19

Spoon River, for elastic scoring, is a composition by Percy Grainger, an Australian-born composer, pianist, and conductor. The piece was composed in 1929 and premiered in New York City in 1930. The composition is divided into four movements, each of which is based on a poem from Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology. The movements are titled "The Hill," "The Water," "The Sunset," and "The Spoon River." The first movement, "The Hill," is a lively and energetic piece that features a prominent brass section. The second movement, "The Water," is more subdued and features a solo clarinet. The third movement, "The Sunset," is a slow and melancholic piece that features a solo violin. The final movement, "The Spoon River," is a lively and celebratory piece that brings the composition to a close. One of the defining characteristics of Spoon River is its use of "elastic scoring." This means that the instrumentation of the piece is flexible and can be adapted to fit the resources available to the performers. Grainger believed that music should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their level of training or the instruments they had available. As a result, he designed Spoon River to be performed by a wide range of ensembles, from small chamber groups to full orchestras. Overall, Spoon River is a unique and innovative composition that showcases Grainger's creativity and commitment to making music accessible to all. Its use of elastic scoring and its incorporation of poetry make it a truly original work that continues to be performed and studied today.

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