Composer

:

Percy Grainger

Genre

:

Keyboard

Style

:

Keyboard

Compose Date

:

1919 - 1922

Publication Date

:

1922

Average_duration

:

2:26

Spoon River, for piano, is a composition by Percy Grainger, an Australian-born composer and pianist. The piece was composed in 1919 and premiered in London in 1920. It is a suite of six movements, each of which is based on a folk song from the Spoon River Anthology, a collection of poems by Edgar Lee Masters. The first movement, "The Hills," is a lively and energetic piece that captures the rolling hills and open spaces of the American Midwest. The second movement, "The Water," is a slower and more contemplative piece that evokes the gentle flow of a river. The third movement, "The Song of the Leatherwing Bat," is a playful and whimsical piece that imitates the fluttering flight of a bat. The fourth movement, "The Spoon River," is the centerpiece of the suite. It is a haunting and melancholy piece that captures the spirit of the anthology's title poem, which describes the ghosts of the dead who haunt the banks of the Spoon River. The fifth movement, "The Ghosts," is a dark and brooding piece that evokes the eerie atmosphere of a haunted graveyard. The final movement, "The Dance," is a lively and joyful piece that celebrates the vitality of life. Overall, Spoon River, for piano, is a masterful work that showcases Grainger's skill as a composer and pianist. The suite is notable for its use of folk melodies and its evocative depictions of the American landscape and culture. It remains a popular and frequently performed work in the piano repertoire.

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