BAINES, William (1899-1922) - Piano Music

Obra d'William Merritt Chase (1849-1916), pintor nord-americà (1)

- Recordatori de William Baines -

En el dia de la commemoració del seu 94è aniversari de decés

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Parlem de Pintura...

William Merritt Chase (Williamsburg, 1 de novembre de 1849 - New York, 25 d'octubre de 1916) va ser un pintor nord-americà. Fill d'un pròsper comerciant de sabates, va estudiar a Nova York (1869) abans de viatjar, el 1872, a Europa. A Munic va assistir a les classes de Karl Theodor von Piloty, especialista en pintura d'història, i del realista Wilhelm Leibl, admirador de Gustave Courbet, de qui va aprendre a pintar amb una paleta fosca, directa i amb pocs retocs. Allà també va entrar en contacte per primera vegada amb la pintura espanyola del segle XVII i amb Frans Hals. El 1878 va tornar a Nova York on va obrir un gran estudi inspirat en el de Marià Fortuny, un dels grans triomfadors entre els col·leccionistes americans. Allà ràpidament es va convertir en un dels retratistes de moda i en un estil proper al del català Fortuny, autor que l'havia impressionat intensament en la seva visita a Europa. El 1881 va viatjar a Espanya on va fer diverses còpies de quadres del Museu del Prado, especialment obres de Velázquez, pintor a qui admirava fins el punt que va posar el nom d'Helen Chase Velázquez a la seva filla en honor al pintor espanyol. Bon amic de Joaquín Sorolla, va importar la pintura impressionista francesa als Estats Units (1883) i va començar a treballar sota aquesta influència a partir del 1900. A Nova York va donar classes des del 1878 amb alumnes com Geòrgia O'Keeffe i Edward Hopper amb qui fins i tot va viatjar a Espanya en el transcurs de la seva formació. Va viure la major part de la seva vida Nova York, la ciutat on va morir l'octubre de 1916.

Font: En català: No disponible - En castellano: William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) - In english: William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) - Altres: William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) 

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Parlem de Música...

William Baines (Horbury, 26 de març de 1899 - York, 6 de novembre de 1922) va ser un pianista i compositor anglès. Tot i provenir d'una família de tradició musical, es va formar al Yorkshire Training College of Music i posteriorment amb el pianista Frederick Dawson. A partir del 1917 va començar a compondre regularment i a participar en alguns recitals com a solista. El 1918 va realitzar el servei militar viatjant a York en el seu retorn el 1919, on va treballar com a pianista del Fossgate Cinema. Allà va realitzar nombrosos recitals amb obra pròpia però també d'autors com Debussy o Ravel. No obstant, i fruit d'una malaltia contreta durant la seva etapa militar, va morir prematurament a York el novembre de 1922.

OBRA:
(selective list)

Vocal secular:

Songs:
2 Songs, op.12b, 1917;
Nights of Music, 1919;
5 Songs, 1919

Instrumental:

Orch:
Sym., c, op.10, 1917;
Andante, a, 1918–19;
Island of the Fay, 1918–19 [arr. of pf work];
Prelude to a Doll's Ballet, str, 1920;
Thought Drift, 1921 [arr. of no.3 of Twilight Pieces];
Poem [from Poème de concert], pf, orch, 1921

Chbr:
Pf Trio, d, op.5/2, 1917, rev. 1 movt, 1918;
Aubade, op.8b, str qt, 1917;
Sonata, G, vn, pf, 1917, rev. 1919;
Str Qt, E, op.2, 1917–18;
2 Pieces, vc, pf, 1918;
Romance, F, vc, pf, 1918;
Rain Splash, vc, pf, 1919, unfinished;
Marionettes, vn, pf, 1919;
Piece, C, str qt, 1919;
Rhapsody, f , str qt, 1920;
Dream Temple, vn, pf, 1920;
2 Fragments, str qt, 1920–21;
Andante, str qt, 1922

Piano
3 Slumber Songs, op.6, 1917;
4 Miniature Tone Pictures, 1917, withdrawn 1922;
Impression from Cherry Ripe, 1917, withdrawn 1922;
5 Pieces, op.8a, 1917;
3 Impressions, op.9, 1917;
2 Elegies, op.11, 1917;
3 Playtime Sketches, op.12a, 1917;
Sonata no.2, a, op.13, 1917;
6 Pieces, op.14, 1917;
Rococo, 1917;
Passion of Destiny, 1917, unfinished;
4 Sketches, 1917–18;
6 Dream Impressions, op.16, 1918;
Sonata, f , op.4, 1918, rev. 1919 and 1921;
Poem, B, op.6/2, 1918;
Introduction and Valse Caprice, op.3/1, 1918;
Concert Study, a, op.6/3, 1918;
The Island of the Fay, 1918–19;
Paradise Gardens, 1918–19;
7 Preludes, 1919;
Dead Heart Flower, 1919
The Little Wavelets, 1919 [from Sonata no.2];
February Pastoral, 1919;
Vale of Memories, 1919;
4 Poems, 1919–20;
Coloured Leaves, 4 pieces, 1919–20;
3 Concert Studies, 1919–20;
Milestones, 3 pieces, 1920;
Prelude, D , 1920;
Cyril Scott Fragment, 1920;
Silverpoints, 4 pieces, 1920–21;
Tides, 2 pieces, 1920–21;
Pictures of Light, 3 pieces, 1920–22;
7 Preludes, set 2, 1920–22;
Prelude and 7 Diversions, 2 pf, 1921;
Twilight Pieces, 3 pieces, 1921;
Poème de concert, 1921 [from final movt of Sonata, 1919];
Idyll (Nocturne), 1921, rev. 1922;
Prelude-Filigree, 1921;
A Last Sheaf, 4 pieces, 1921–2

Font: En català: No disponible - En castellano: No disponible - In english: William Baines (1899-1922) - Altres: William Baines (1899-1922)

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Parlem en veu pròpia o en veu d'altri...

This is a very important issue indeed. The name William Baines may be unfamiliar to many readers but I would certainly place him among the major figures in English piano music in the early part of this century. The output he produced during his tragically short life - he succumbed to incipient tuberculosis at the age of 23 in 1922 - is truly phenomenal. Not only did he compose a remarkable amount of very fine and highly original piano music, but he also produced a Symphony, a concertante work for piano and orchestra (yet to be heard), a tone-poem entitled The Island of the Fay after an Edgar Allan Poe poem, as well as a dozen or so songs. To my knowledge this is only the second commercial recording ever made of his music (Eric Parkin also recorded a volume of piano music for Lyrita back in the 1970s, 5/72 - nla) so Priory are to be greatly applauded for their vision and enterprise in releasing this long overdue tribute. One of the remarkable things about Baines is the rapidity with which he seemed to find a unique voice. He fell under the spell of Scriabin and Cyril Scott early on in his musical development - in fact he was one of the few composers to fully personalize Scriabin’s harmonic sound world - but one need only sample, say, the evocative seascape “Goodnight to Flambro” from Tides or the shimmering Pool-Lights to realize just how fast Baines assimilated these influences into his own personal voice. There is great consistency of quality in Baines’s piano music too, perhaps because he was such a fine pianist as well. All of the pieces presented on this disc are delightful, but I would single out the beautiful Paradise gardens (which at times recalls the music of John Ireland), Tides, Twilight Pieces and the Seven Preludes of 1919 as representing Baines at his most inspired. Eric Parkin, who of course is no stranger to this music (having presented a good deal of Baines’s piano music on radio as well as the earlier Lyrita disc), plays beautifully and with conviction, and the recorded sound is good, if a little hard-edged in some of the more forceful passages. If you have the slightest interest in English music I urge you to explore this very rewarding disc which I hope will encourage other record companies to take up the cause.'

Michael Stewart (source/font: aquí)

Gaudiu i compartiu! 

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Informació addicional... 

INTERPRETS: Eric Parkin (piano)
AMAZON: BAINES, W. - Piano Music

IMSLP: William Baines (1899-1922)

CPDL: No disponible

SPOTIFY: BAINES, W. - Piano Music



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