The Banjo (Gottschalk)
Encyclopedia
The Banjo is an exciting and lively piece for piano
by the American
composer
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
. Composed in 1853, it is one of Gottschalk's best-known works. The piece features captivating imitations of mid-nineteenth-century African-American banjo
techniques and includes demonstrations of techniques, such as up-picking and strumming
, which are not found in other sources from the period.
15.
The accuracy of Gottschalk's banjo imitations in the piece makes it a unique record of the sound of pre-Civil War African-American banjo playing, and it contains evidence of techniques not found in other sources, including combinations of "downstroking" and "up-picking" found in West African plucked lute performance. This unusual accuracy has enabled at least one modern banjo player to recreate the banjo music that Gottschalk transcribed (see links, below), and has invited speculation that Gottschalk may have taken his banjo imitations from actual transcription of an unnamed African-American banjo player. Unlike most banjo music in the popular minstrel shows of the time that more closely followed the melody of dance music (in the way "The Banjo" does towards the end of the piece), most of "The Banjo" consists of variations of a repeating phrase as is done by musicians in the Senegambia region in West Africa, the source for the banjo's ancestors.
and in the key of F-sharp major.
The piece begins with a variant of the ending theme doubled in octaves
. Then the piece explores a strikingly West African-style series of variations on a basic repeating phrase. When the melody from the introduction comes back in, it barely has time establish itself before a incredibly difficult passage in sixteenths takes over. Thundering octaves then take the melody back to the introduction and the whole thing is repeated.
Throughout the piece the melodies develop until Gottschalk brings the piece to an end with a brilliant pair of variations
, containing Stephen Foster
's Camptown Races
.
The Banjo contains many difficult passages and takes a very skilled performer to master. However, it is a fun, lively and exciting piece to play and to listen to.
of piano virtuosi
around the world.
French pianist Cyprien Katsaris
created his own transcription of the piece, during performances he plays several wrong notes, adding to the humour of the piece.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Louis Moreau Gottschalk was an American composer and pianist, best known as a virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works...
. Composed in 1853, it is one of Gottschalk's best-known works. The piece features captivating imitations of mid-nineteenth-century African-American banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
techniques and includes demonstrations of techniques, such as up-picking and strumming
Strum
In music, a strum or stroke is an action where a single surface touches several strings of a string instrument, such as a guitar, in order to set them all into motion and thereby play a chord...
, which are not found in other sources from the period.
Background
During the summer of 1853, Gottschalk undertook several compositions; among them was the first version of The Banjo. After taking the piece through a major overhaul, Gottschalk submitted it for publication in 1854 as his OpusOpus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
15.
The accuracy of Gottschalk's banjo imitations in the piece makes it a unique record of the sound of pre-Civil War African-American banjo playing, and it contains evidence of techniques not found in other sources, including combinations of "downstroking" and "up-picking" found in West African plucked lute performance. This unusual accuracy has enabled at least one modern banjo player to recreate the banjo music that Gottschalk transcribed (see links, below), and has invited speculation that Gottschalk may have taken his banjo imitations from actual transcription of an unnamed African-American banjo player. Unlike most banjo music in the popular minstrel shows of the time that more closely followed the melody of dance music (in the way "The Banjo" does towards the end of the piece), most of "The Banjo" consists of variations of a repeating phrase as is done by musicians in the Senegambia region in West Africa, the source for the banjo's ancestors.
Analysis
The Banjo is in 2/4 timeTime signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
and in the key of F-sharp major.
The piece begins with a variant of the ending theme doubled in octaves
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
. Then the piece explores a strikingly West African-style series of variations on a basic repeating phrase. When the melody from the introduction comes back in, it barely has time establish itself before a incredibly difficult passage in sixteenths takes over. Thundering octaves then take the melody back to the introduction and the whole thing is repeated.
Throughout the piece the melodies develop until Gottschalk brings the piece to an end with a brilliant pair of variations
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
, containing Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
's Camptown Races
Camptown Races
Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was probably composed in Cincinnati in 1849, according to Richard Jackson, and published by F. D. Benteen of Baltimore, Maryland, in February 1850...
.
The Banjo contains many difficult passages and takes a very skilled performer to master. However, it is a fun, lively and exciting piece to play and to listen to.
Performances
The Banjo was first performed in March of 1855 by Gottschalk himself. Since then it has become a favorite encoreEncore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
of piano virtuosi
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
around the world.
French pianist Cyprien Katsaris
Cyprien Katsaris
Cyprien Katsaris is a French-Cypriot pianist, teacher and composer. He was born on 5 May 1951, in Marseilles, France.-Biography:Katsaris first began to play the piano when he was four, in Cameroon where he grew up...
created his own transcription of the piece, during performances he plays several wrong notes, adding to the humour of the piece.
External links
- Gottschalk's "The Banjo," op. 15, and the Banjo in the Nineteenth Century by Paul Ely Smith
- The Banjo played by Lincoln Mayorga (Youtube)
- The Banjo played by Cyprien Katsaris (Youtube)
- The Banjo played by Paul Ely Smith on gourd banjo (Youtube)
- Scores at the IMSLP
- [ The Banjo at Allmusic]