Presents
Charles Tomlinson Griffes
Two Sketches Based on Indian Themes for String Quartet
Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920) was born in the Elmira, New York. He had piano lessons with Mary Broughton, who taught at Elmira College. She encouraged him to study in Berlin and arranged for him to attend the Stern Conservatory where he continued his piano studies, while subsequently studying composition privately with Engelbert Humperdinck. On returning to the U.S. in 1907, he became director of music studies at the Hackley School for boys in Tarrytown, New York, a post which he held until his death. The post gave him ample time to compose. His initial works are influenced by German Romanticism, but he subsequently abandoned the German style for Impressionism and he is regarded as perhaps the most important American composer of this style. He was fascinated by the exotic, mysterious sound of the French Impressionists which plays an important role in many of his later works.
His Two Sketches on Indian Themes for String Quartet were actually only two of five he wrote.between the years of 1908 - 1910 and 1919. One was written during his early "German" period, and the others were written during the time in which he was experimenting with different types of composition and sounds, including those from other cultures. The reason the sketches are dubbed, "Two Sketches..." is because after Griffes' death in 1920, his publisher Schirmer chose two of the five sketches to publish, and never published the others. And the second sketch which they published, Allegro giocoso, wasn’t even one of his sketches but from an earlier work for string quartet which Griffes included among his other drafts. On the manuscript to the first sketch, Griffes wrote that the theme was based on a Chippawa Indian farewell song. We do not know what if any Indian theme the second sketch used as nothing was written on the manuscript.
Long out of print, we are pleased to make it available again. This interesting and atmospheric work by an important American composer deserves concert performance
Parts: $24.95
Parts & Score: $29.95
