Score
French suite : for piano / Justin Michael McKay.
Library shelf no. 786.2185/MCK 2 [Not for loan]
Work Overview
Composed in November 2014, French Suite is in a familiar
form. From the florid and ornate Sarabande to the entertaining
Passepied, each of the seven movements develops a different meter
and character. Oscillating between G Major and g minor, with one
excursion to e minor (Le Couperin, a tribute to the French master
François Couperin), the suite displays an updated attitude toward
ancient dance forms.
The Allemande is lyrical and rhythmically square. The Courante
flighty but mild. The Sarabande is in the usual binary structure,
but with written-out repeats with copious ornamentation. The
Passepied is playful and rhythmic, played without pedal. Minuet
Drôle has a comic element: toward the end the simple melody
breaks off abruptly and unexpectedly, mid-phrase. Le Couperin is
the most pianistic of the set, calling for 'beacoup de pedale'
(lots of pedal). The Gigue mixes elements of two different
species of gigue: the jerky French rhythms are juxtaposed upon
the gentler Irish rhythms.
Work Details
Year: 2014
Instrumentation: Piano.
Difficulty: Medium — approx. grade 6
Contents note: I. Allemande -- II. Courante -- III. Sarabande -- IV. Passepied -- V. Le Couperin -- VI. Minuet Drôle -- VII. Gigue.
The composer notes the following styles, genres, influences, etc associated with this work:
Suites, Neo-classicism, allemande, courante, sarabande, minuet, passepied, gigue
Subjects
- In the form/style of: Neo-classicism
- In the form/style of: Suites
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