American Recital, Vol. II

Featuring

Ulrich Roman Murtfeld
Alexander Reinagle
Edward Alexander MacDowell
George Antheil
Charles Ives
Roger Sessions

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Historical Context

Despite the vast quantity of American piano music, it was largely absent from 20th-century concert programs due to the dominance of European teachers and touring virtuosos.

Composition History

Alexander Reinagle's four piano sonatas from around 1790 survived a 1820 theater fire that destroyed his fifty operas.

Composer Biography

Charles Ives, identified as the 'father' of American modernism, became a wealthy insurance company partner, allowing him to compose without concern for publication.

Composer's Artistic Vision

George Antheil, known as the 'bad boy of music,' used jazz-inspired works like his 1922 Jazz Sonata to create 'outrageous sounds' and exploit jazz's power as an American trait.

Compositional Technique

Charles Ives's Three-Page Sonata, composed in 1905, is named for the three manuscript pages it occupies, despite its nearly seven-minute duration and demanding musical content.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Many American composers faced the challenge of defining a universal 'American music,' a task complicated by the country's diverse ethnic and cultural landscape.

Composer Biography

Alexander Reinagle, the first composer on this album, was born in Portsmouth, England, and became a significant figure in Philadelphia's musical life, founding the 'New Music Theatre'.