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Read descriptions and background of each movement, as well as blog posts to be added before performances. The "Hawthorne" section-by-section breakdown is now complete.
Pictured above: the decorated wooden board used in part two of "Hawthorne."
"Emerson" (Movement 1)
Ives considered Ralph Waldo Emerson to be "America's deepest explorer of the spiritual immensities," and his Essays Before A Sonata writings on this movement overall represent this outlook, calling for "Transcendental Journey," "reflecting the overtones of the soul of humanity," and playing "as though the Mountains of the Universe were shouting as all of Humanity rises to behold the 'Massive Eternities.'" Ives writes that the movement's sections vary between reflections of poetry and prose, and that the tempo may vary as the performer feels.
The "Emerson" movement aligns loosely with features of sonata form, in that it is built around recurring themes that are developed and returning. However, themes are layered and fragmented in incredibly complex ways so that they both lead the movement forward and prevent the listener from recognizing them completely during the first listen. Almost every theme is included on the first page before Ives breaks down the material over 18 pages following. The "Human Faith" theme is present throughout although it will not be heard in full until "The Alcotts," and up to six additional themes have been identified by Ives scholars (see Other Resources by Kyle Gann and James Peter Burkholder). Other main themes are a declamatory predominating motif that has been labeled after the movement, a slow and quiet "second theme" (alluding to traditional sonata form), and a descending lyrical theme that Ives said may reflect poetry rather than prose. The "Beethoven's 5th" motif is interwoven frequently; Ives describes these four notes in the Essays as "the relentlessness of fate knocking at the door," representing divine mysteries and human destiny.
Section-by-section blog posts will come at a later date!
"Hawthorne" (Movement 2)
This is described as a scherzo movement named after Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ives explains some of the literary inspirations in a memo about the "Concord" Sonata:
"The ‘Magical Frost Waves’ on the Berkshire dawn window - to me the Hawthorne movement starts with that, first on the morning window pane, then on the meadow… then a boy lands on the stoop… and then he gets riding on the railroad - perhaps (but not every day) on the Celestial Railroad - then he jumps over the wall with Feathertop… then all of a sudden he is in the old churchyard- he hears the solemn old hymn, the distant bells - his old ghost friend greets him - he feels suddenly reverent in an honest boylike way…. And then he gets hit and jumps back on the railroad train again and is off - he forgets the dead and dances on the Demon’s pipe bowl… with that rollicking scarecrow, so solemn..."
These ideas come together, sometimes very suddenly, in this whirlwind journey of a piece. You will also hear interruptions from other American tunes along the way. Rather than utilizing motivic construction like in "Emerson," this movement is built on characterized episodes. However, the main themes still appear, and quotes of other material are important in defining sections.
The first pianist to publicly perform this piece, John Kirkpatrick, labeled the apparent sections of this movement as "phantasmagoria - nocturne - ragtime - contrasts - ragtime - nocturne - phantasmagoria" (from the preface to Ives' Symphony No. 4 in 1965). This is not to say that Ives repeats material, but rather to label tempo and character. I find these to be very clear sectional markers, and have broken the movement into parts in the same way.
In preparation for my first master's recital on November 23rd, 2020, I decided to start blog posts on the longest movement as it can seem like the most disparate and complicated.
SECTION-BY-SECTION BREAKDOWN
part 1
Pages 21-24 | 10/26/2020
This opening launches the movement fairly quickly and establishes the busy scherzo writing. The tempo is marked "Very fast," but considering the very rhythmic writing to come (including a march section and ragtime-esque passages) I want to start with as much of a consistent pulse as possible. It expands in register from the "frost waves" that Ives describes until the motoric "railroad" takes over. The opening run is notated in sixteenth notes, and the immediate repeats begin in thirty-second notes, so the first measure cannot be excessively fast (although Ives writes to not take this completely literally). Note values get smaller until there are groups of 9 in the left hand. After a page of this gaining momentum, a 2/4 feel is finally established; by the time there is a clear rhythm in sixteenth notes, I want the tempo to be steady and even, with energy and drive.
I have heard other performers vary the tempo and include a fair amount of ebb and flow as the writing moves around registers and introduces new material, but I personally find that keeping a mostly regular beat can create more of a consistent establishing section. It also aligns with the motoric train idea suggested by the "Celestial Railroad" inspiration. The pulse is held for the most part until the "Human Faith" melody launches us into new material to finish out this section. Professor Chertock compared it to one of my favorite parts of "The Battle of Hoth" from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where two pianos enter: listen here!
This is the last page of momentous, rhythmic material before Ives slows down for the first time in this movement.
Important features: the "Human Faith" theme appears twice; rhythmic pulse is established; the first section of the piece is concluded with a transition to slow and quiet material
Challenges of this section: bringing out the themes, specifically while crossing over the left hand; keeping a consistent and clear pulse; clarity of notes while at a triple forte dynamic level and high speed
part 2
Pages 25-26 | 10/28/2020
In the first "nocturne" section, Ives creates a sharp contrast from the opening material. This is some of the most consonant and reflective material in the Sonata so far. Interesting tone color is introduced by using a wooden board to play cluster chords in the high register, while the left hand finally has a sustained melody without perpetual rhythm. The board technique gained attention from critics at the time of publication and is certainly surprising. Personally, when I asked my dad if he had a piece of wood in his workshop for me to use in a piano piece, he was skeptical of the type of piece he'd have to sit through later. When I showed him this section, he was pleasantly surprised.
The passage gains momentum and drama towards the end as the clusters move out of the ethereal high register. Once the left hand crescendos back to forte, loud and decidedly not ethereal chords interrupt. Ives says these should be considered as arpeggios between the hands rather than between the fingers, so I play the first two groups of chords as two blocks, like double stops would sound. Upon getting to the third chord, which is marked as rolled, the arpeggiation creates contrast. This louder material will transition into the next fortissimo section.
Important features: This section calls for "a strip of board 14 3/4 inches long and heavy enough to press the keys down without striking" to play the upper cluster chords; even though Ives designates the movement to be played "as fast as possible" for the most part, he writes "slowly" here, fitting for John Kirkpatrick's "nocturne" label.
Challenges of this section: Getting an even, quiet sound with the board; carrying the melody and harmony with the left hand
part 3
Pages 26-34 | 11/18/2020
A crescendo launches the piece into the first "ragtime" section, marked "very fast again." It keeps a clear, rhythmic beat until arpeggios move the tempo faster. Melodies pass between the right and left hands as if moving through different instruments in an orchestra. After this quieter exchange, a chromatic scale introduces a whirlwind fortissimo and triple forte section building upon the arpeggios from before. This leads into a left hand repeated pattern sweeping into the low register, while the right hand introduces a variation on the "Human Faith" theme. It continues on to include the "Beethoven's 5th" quote with the left hand in perpetual motion, getting faster and faster until the pedal is held and a wall of sound is created; a G major chord is played quietly after this sounds, so when the pedal lifts, this is the only thing remaining, "as a Hymn is sometimes heard over a distant hill just after a heavy storm" (from the notes in the Sonata). The same thing will happen in the next section, "contrasts," and this is a brief preview.* The soft hymn-like texture is reminiscent of the start of the "Martyn" hymn, though with different rhythm. It is quickly interrupted by more "very fast," triple forte ragtime-esque material; the left hand melody has the contour of "Human Faith." Another wall of sound is created alongside a rapid descent down the keyboard; this time, an F-sharp major chord with more full voicing remains. It will lead into a hymn that begins part 4.
*note: John Kirkpatrick ends the section here, and includes the rest of page 33 and 34 in "contrasts." I have continued until the second system of page 34, because the ragtime material interrupts after such a brief pause.
Important features: many different melodies appear, but this section keeps a driving beat with only a few exceptions. The "Human Faith" theme gets variations, and the "Beethoven's 5th" motif appears prominently for the first time in this movement. There is a preview of the soft hymn interrupting the chaos.
Challenges of this section: transitioning quickly between ideas; managing the amount of notes while keeping horizontal direction
part 4
Pages 34-36 | 11/19/2020
This section,* labeled "contrasts," has the most vivid descriptions provided by Ives. It begins with the hymn on the F-sharp major chord that was left at the end of part 3. The "Essays Before a Sonata" reference "the old hymn tune that haunts the church and sings only to those in the churchyard, to protect them from secular noises." This is a pianissimo section that emerges from wild fortes and halts the tempo from the ragtime. We hear more of the hymn reminiscent of "Martyn," but the rhythm is punctuated by sixteenth rests. Ives says cryptically in the notes, "here the Hymn for a moment is slightly held up by a Friendly Ghost in the Church Yard." Various source materials for this movement include treble-register thirds between chords of the hymn, and a manuscript includes the description that "angels join in distance." Kyle Gann details source materials and performance practice for incorporating thirds here, and comes to the conclusion that "the sixteenth-note rests that interrupt the chorale were clearly significant to Ives, and the shadow thirds, if played, can ring nicely through them" (pg 209). For this reason, and to represent Ives' comment about the "Friendly Ghost," I decided to include them.
The soft hymn is suddenly interrupted by more "secular noise." A dense, "very fast" stanza includes an implied meter of 5/16, and accents to be hit "as a trombone would sometimes call the Old Cornet Band to march" (from the notes in the Sonata). This leads quickly into a march section that is a quote of Ives' own "Country Band March," explained programmatically in the notes as "when the circus parade comes down Main Street." It has clear rhythm and tonality for essentially the first time in this movement. This holds a march rhythm and accelerates until sudden chords interrupt; Ives says, "a Drum Corps gets the best of the Band - for a moment," and the "contrasts" section ends with an echo of the band's rhythm.
*note: John Kirkpatrick begins this section at the G major preview on page 33
Important features: programmatic descriptions include a hymn in the church yard, a friendly ghost, and a circus parade including the old cornet band.
Challenges of this section: determining what to play for the "ghost" thirds; managing the interruption leading into the Country Band March section, as it is one of the hardest lines of the piece, in my opinion; during the march section, staying relaxed as it gets faster and more dense
part 5
Pages 37-42 | 11/22/2020
Rhythmic "ragtime" picks up again, more dance-like in this section. It begins with melodies in the middle range of the keyboard. Quirky, accented syncopations and emphasized dissonances add character. After two pages, note divisions become smaller as the music gets busier again, and phrase ideas get shorter. Ives begins to reintroduce more dense textures and chromatic scales. Eventually, this leads to expansion of register to extreme highs and lows. At the climax, Ives calls for five-note cluster chords; the designations "faster and faster," and con fuoco (with fire or vigor); and for the pedal to be held down for the entirety of three busy lines. After this loud rush of sound, there is complete silence in the form of a held rest.
Important features: rhythmic drive returns, with syncopations throughout; this section provides textural and dynamic buildup until fortississimo cluster chords with constant pedal provide one of the loudest, busiest parts of the piece
Challenges of this section: keeping clear textures as it gets more dense; managing the speed with clarity; bringing out melodies as they bounce between registers
Part 6
Pages 42-46 | 11/23/2020
The second "nocturne" section begins from silence and is marked "quite slowly." There is only one moving voice, in the right hand, until expansive chords begin to interrupt. The right hand continues a melody after these chords, again reminiscent of a hymn. When the left hand joins, it crescendos and accelerates back into forte while the right hand continues arpeggios above. Abruptly, the music then becomes "quite fast again." The left hand has a sixteenth-note ostinato with sforzando accents, while the right hand has a dotted melody that could be reminiscent of the country band again, or a variation on "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean," which will appear clearly at the end of the movement. Rhythmic drive is emphasized when the left hand has accents on every beat. As if one instrument section takes the melody, the music moves into a higher register and drops to mezzo forte. When the bass re-joins, triplets emerge and the registers expand again. This culminates in a low tremolo as the right hand descends the keyboard in a scale made of fourths.
The approximate quotation of "Columbia" continues, back at mezzo forte and "a little slower." The melody is clear in the right hand but the texture becomes thicker as it goes on. This leads to another forte passage that features the "Beethoven's 5th" motif for the first time in a while, in bass octaves. I have faded out the section here as it transitions quickly into the last, wild "phantasmagoria."
Important features: this begins as one of the softest, least busy sections of the work; quotes of "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" begin to appear; the "Beethoven's 5th" motif returns at the end
Challenges of this section: not rushing the buildup back to forte; including all notes of the triplet section as Ives includes small notes in the middle of the keyboard to be played off the beats by the left hand
Part 7
Pages 46-51 | 11/23/2020
"Beethoven's 5th" begins this section as it transitions back into busy, fast material. After the motif, the left hand continues in octaves and again introduces the dotted rhythm of "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean." The last "phantasmagoria" then begins with the designation "from here on, as fast as possible." There is a pulse felt in 3/16, and the left hand mostly holds the melody in octaves while the right hand leaps around in sixteenth notes. After a page, there is a clear beginning of the "Human Faith" theme that quickly segues back into a denser texture, losing the melodic octaves but retaining the accents creating 3/16 time. Reaching fortissimo alongside the instruction to "rush it," the left hand projects more "Human Faith" quotes and the right hand has swirling arpeggios. This continues on to include the "Beethoven's 5th" motif. Melody is lost again as the 3/16 pulse is lost when the hands have a jumble of alternating chords. Ives then utilizes expansive register with a pointillistic "Human Faith" allusion that develops into right hand thirty-second notes. Finally, a clear statement of "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" leaps out in the high register over an ostinato (Ives says "faster if possible"). For a brief moment, the intensity stops and the "Martyn" hymn appears in triple piano. The movement then finishes with a rapid fortississimo ascent and crescendo to the end.
Important features: this is marked "as fast as possible" until the end; there are clear quotes of "Human Faith," "Beethoven's 5th," and "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" that come out of the busy texture
Challenges of this section: the sheer amount of notes and speed!
"The Alcotts" (Movement 3)
The shortest, most intimate movement is more about life at the Alcott's Orchard House than about Louisa May or Bronson Alcott individually. In Ives' words, "we won't try to reconcile the music sketch of the Alcotts with much besides the memory of that home under the elms - the Scotch songs and the family hymns that were sung at the end of each day - though there may be an attempt to catch something of that common sentiment... a strength of hope that never gives way to despair - a conviction in the power of the common soul" (from Essays Before A Sonata). This common sentiment is his reference to the "Human Faith" theme.
This movement builds upon hymns and presents the "Human Faith" melody in full for the first time, now incorporating the "Beethoven's 5th" motif. The "Human Faith" material is interrupted by a B section that eventually grows into a climactic return to the theme. This movement is the most traditionally tonal of the four, as it is meant to evoke a "little old spinet-piano... on which Beth played the old Scotch airs, and played at the Fifth Symphony" (from the Essays). It is the only movement to begin and end on major chords, with only brief departures from major tonalities.
Section-by-section blog posts will come at a later date!
"Thoreau" (Movement 4)
The Sonata finishes with a slow and pondering impressionistic piece. It expresses images of nature, as expected when discussing Henry David Thoreau, but the keyword Ives emphasizes in the Essays is "restlessness." This movement begins with arpeggiations characterizing the mists rising over Walden pond: Ives states, "and if there shall be a program let it follow [a] thought on an autumn day of an Indian summer at Walden - a shadow of a thought at first, colored by the mist and haze over the pond." Moments of clear major tonality interrupt, when "as the mists rise, there comes a clearer thought more traditional than the first, a meditation more calm." Ives comes back to this musical thought several times, before it accelerates and crescendos into a moment of C major (the key in which "The Alcotts" ended).
The second half of this movement initially revolves around a bass ostinato and a slow statement of "Down In The Cornfield;" according to Ives' footnotes in the Sonata, sometimes "an old Elm Tree may feel like humming a phrase from 'Down in the Corn Field,' but usually very slowly." This is clearly heard, but the melody is distorted and quiet. As the music wanders from that material, there are hints of the "Human Faith" theme. This leads us into a passage of crescendos continually restarting as the movement approaches an eventual fortissimo; the consistent restarting or reintroduction of phrases follows programmatic implications of being lost in thought before eventually reaching a point. Eventually, the music suddenly drops back down to a piano dynamic level, and the "Human Faith" theme gets a full statement; here, there is an optional flute part with the note that "Thoreau much prefers to hear the flute over Walden." After this decrescendos and ends, the ostinato and the rising mist from earlier in the movement finish the work and fade away.
Section-by-section blog posts will come at a later date!
