Ever wondered what it would be like to see Copland's manuscripts in-person at the Library of Congress? Join Jennifer DeLapp-Birkett as she recounts a recent visit.
Read more- Title
- Piano Variations
- For
- piano
- Year Composed
- 1930
- ARCO Number(s)
- 21
- Category
- Piano Solo
- Duration
- 11'
- Premiere
- New York, January 4th, 1931 (Copland)
- Dedication
- To Gerald Sykes
- Publisher
- Boosey & Hawkes
- Publishing Status
- Published
- Versions
- Orchestral Variations (1957) (Orchestration)
- In Collection
Buying Options
Boosey & HawkesExternal Links
Program Note
Copland's first major piano piece caused a stir from the time the composer gave the premiere performance at the artists' colony Yaddo, where he had started a festival of contemporary American music. He wrote that the Piano Variations "was the first work where I felt very sure of myself." Critic Paul Rosenfeld prophesied: "One felt its author the composer of the coming decades." The work has continued to draw attention and has been described as strong, spare, and granitic. While Copland adapted the twelve tone method for the piece, the twenty variations and coda flow naturally in a style that is recognizably Copland's own.
- Author
- Vivian Perlis
- Year
- 1998