Piano Sonata No. 1 (1953), movement 2 (arrangement)
Piano Sonata No. 1 (1953), movement 2
arrangement: George Walker/arr. Grace Chen
decet: flute, oboe, A clarinet, horn, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello, bass
arranged 2022
Arranger’s Note
Arranged as the final project for MUS 23 Timbre and Form class at Dartmouth, taught by Professor Rowland Moseley. Piece was recorded by Imani Winds and Catalyst Quartet (however, render below is with NotePerformer).
George Theophilus Walker (1922 – 2018), an American composer, pianist, and organist, was the first African American composer to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Walker was born in Washington, D.C. to West Indian-American parents and started studying piano at a young age. In 1937, he was admitted into Oberlin College where he studied piano and organ. After graduating from Oberlin College at the age of eighteen, Walker was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music. There, he studied piano, chamber music, and composition, and graduated with Artist Diplomas in piano and composition in 1945 as the first black graduate of the institution (“George Walker, Biographical Information”, 2022).
As a composer, Walker composed over ninety works for a variety of instruments and ensembles. His most frequently performed work is Lyric for Strings, which is the second movement of his String Quartet no. 1 (“George Walker, Biographical Information”, 2022). Walker’s “Piano Sonata No. 1” (1953, revised 1991) was his first major piano composition. The first movement is in sonata-allegro form, the second movement is a theme and variations, and the third movement is in an arch form. The second movement of sonata was arranged for a mixed decet (wind quintet plus string quartet plus double bass) for the final project of MUS 23.
The theme of the second movement is based on the folk song, “O Bury Me Beneath The Willow” (“From Sonata to ‘Satin Doll’: The Piano Music of George Walker – Jeffrey Chappell”, 2022). The theme, which is sweet and mellow, borrows some of the melodic material from the folk song, but makes changes to the style and rhythm. Walker then develops the theme into four different variations. The first variation is faster in tempo and very bright and brilliant, which is in stark contrast to the softer main theme. The second variation is not as fast and busy as the first, but is still more vibrant than the theme. The third variation takes the same tempo as the first variation. It starts with a motif in the left hand that is later layered with bell-like octave calls in the right hand. Finally, the fourth variation is very expressive, with the main melody woven into the middle voices that returns to the sweeter and more serene mood of the original theme.
In order to arrange the second movement of Walker’s Piano Sonata for a mixed decet, certain considerations must be considered that would suit the ensemble and players. One of the changes made to the original was the time signature. Upon listening, the variations do not seem to take the same time signature. However, all variations and the theme are originally written in 6/8. To make it easier for players to read, two variations were rebarred (the first variation to 3/8 and fourth variation to 3/4). Although certain characteristics of piano writing cannot be mimicked by winds and strings, they were reimagined in order to preserve as much of the original timbre of the piece as possible. Quick passages, which are more tiring to instruments other than piano, are passed around through the instruments. For better coordination in an ensemble, these fast passages are not always doubled completely. Instead, one or two instruments play the whole run while others highlight the more important melodic notes of the passage. To recreate the texture created by the pedal, certain notes are held for longer than notated or sustained underneath the melody. Furthermore, a clarinet in A was chosen instead of the usual clarinet in B-flat because the movement is in the key of concert A Major. And finally, the registral characteristics and mobility of each different instrument was accounted for to make the arrangement playable. The following paragraphs describe the arrangement for the theme and each variation.
The main theme starts with an introduction of all strings except for double bass. The winds start to join in separately at the second repetition of the melody. The end of the theme has all instruments playing together, which effectively introduces the combination of the sound of all nine different instruments to the listener.
Most of the first variation is dominated by the passing of the melody in the upper winds (flute, oboe, and clarinet). Strings double the fast movement of the winds and occasionally play more of the note content than the winds in order to give the wind instruments a break. During these occasions the winds only highlight the notes that are most important to the melodic texture. The end of this variation has all the instruments playing forte to end on a strong and energetic cadence. As mentioned above, the first variation was re-barred from 6/8 time to 3/8 time.
The original piano version of the second variation sounds like a call-and-response conversation between two voices. To emphasize this, the arrangement of this variation showcases a tradeoff between the instrument families. However, the strings join the winds when it is their turn for the melody with pizzicato, adding a little more finish and brightness to the overall sound.
The third variation starts with a single bass time, with cello and bassoon. Pizzicato viola and double bass were added to embellish and give more lightness and dimension to the texture of the bass line. Upper winds and occasionally violins then layer above these instruments in brief accented octave doublings. The repeated notes in the original piano score were adapted into sustained notes for the clarinet to mimic the effect of the pedal.
The fourth and last variation was rewritten in 3/4 time. The melody first starts in the double reeds and cello, is then passed to flute, clarinet, and viola, and makes its way back to bassoon and cello. Harmonics are used in the first violin to create a light and floaty texture, suitable for the mood of the variation. Similar to the ending of the theme, all instruments play together at the end of the last variation.
References:
From Sonata to ‘Satin Doll’: The Piano Music of George Walker – Jeffrey Chappell. (2022). Retrieved 2 March 2022, from https://jeffreychappell.com/pianist/articles/from-sonata-to-satin-doll-the-piano-music-of-george-walker/
George Walker, Biographical Information. (2022). Retrieved 2 March 2022, from http://georgetwalker.com/bio.html
