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William Ashworth, Piano Upcoming Events at KSU in Music Tuesday, May 3 Kennesaw State University Percussion Ensemble 8:00 pm Stillwell Theater Kennesaw State University Department of Music Sunday, June 12 Musical Arts Series Starlight Summer Series KSU Jazz Ensemble presents 7:30 pm KSU Legacy Gazebo Amphitheater Sunday, June 26 Starlight Summer Series Army Ground Forces Band 7:30 pm KSU Legacy Gazebo Amphitheater William Ashworth, piano Sunday, July 10 Starlight Summer Series Miguel Romero 7:30 pm KSU Legacy Gazebo Senior Recital Amphitheater Sunday, July 24 Starlight Summer Series Atlanta Pops Orchestra 7:30 pm KSU Legacy Gazebo Amphitheater Sunday, August 14 Starlight Summer Series Friday May 6, 2005 Sauce Boss 8:00 pm 7:30 pm KSU Legacy Gazebo Stillwell Theater Amphitheater th 56 concert of the 2004/2005 Musical Arts Series season This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Music Performance Program The development section provides more opportunity for dramatic interpretation than examination of compositional originality. In an unsurprisingly cinematic fashion (Prokofiev composed a great deal of film music), the themes receive a kingly Sonata in A minor, D. 537 Franz Schubert coronation of sweeping arpeggios and intervallic elaboration (1797-1828) before recapitulating quietly and conventionally, ending with the final closing section in its original clamor. I. Allegro, ma non troppo II. Allegretto quasi andantino William Ashworth, a Marietta native, began piano study at III. Allegro vivace the University of Georgia with Linda Li – Bleuel and Ivan Frazier. At the 2003 Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee, he served as orchestral pianist for the Festival Orchestra, studied Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49 Frederic Chopin piano with Gary Hammond and Michael Gurt, and conducted (1810-1849) repertory orchestras and large chamber groups under the auspices of Alexander Mickelthwaite, assistant director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Ashworth performed at the 2002 Intermission Kennesaw Honors Recital and at a master class given by Robert Henry. An active chamber musician, Ashworth has performed under the artistic direction of Joseph Eller and David Watkins, giving four chamber recitals to date. His piano composition, Fantasia Benjamin Lees Variations on a Theme by John Williams, was premiered by David (b. 1924) Watkins at the Kennesaw Composition Recital in 2004. Ashworth has performed with the KSU Chorale since 2001 and is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, Golden Key International Honor Jeux d’eau Maurice Ravel Society, and the Dean’s List. In 2002 – 2003 he was appointed a (1875-1937) KSU Presidential Fellow, a privilege that allowed his participation in leadership workshops with KSU President Betty Siegel and the initial planning for a Habitat for Humanity project. Ashworth Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 1 Sergei Prokofiev currently resides in Powder Springs and is currently a student of (1891-1953) David Watkins at Kennesaw State University. Prokofiev’s piano music bears unmistakable imprints from his earliest Franz Schubert was born on January 31, 1797 – and sketches: detached writing; spare texture; fast tempi; jagged rhythms; miraculously did not die the same day. Of his thirteen siblings, and grating chromaticism. This chromatic writing manifests most only four lived to maturity. Yet in Napoleon’s Vienna, recently strongly in his first four piano sonatas, all in minor keys. Beginning decimated economically by the new paper currency worth 1/5 of with Sonata no. 6, Prokofiev began explorations in the the previous gold standard, such mortality rates were common. superimposition of major and minor parallel tonalities (resulting in His father earned little respect under the new regime – Napoleon sonorities much like the opening chords of Jimi Hendrix’s Purple preferred loyal subjects to scholars, and Franz Sr. taught school. Haze). The tempi of his movements grew increasingly exaggerated, When young Franz graduated from the Vienna Seminary, he too and his melodies departed further and further from the Russian became a schoolteacher, albeit an unenthusiastic one. In the Romanticism of his early lyricism. meanwhile, his compositional output had grown to encompass His first piano sonata in one movement, very different from the lieder, operas, symphonies, and piano works. His one-sided nature rest, answers the question one might ask at this point – how might a as composer precluded self-promotion and business savvy. piano idiom that is marked with bizarre modern harmony and rhythm Yet the blame for his only posthumous success lies not juxtapose with romantic melody? A heavily chromatic bass line and entirely with Schubert, who in reality was far from the lieder- passing chromatic harmonies lend a simple, lyrical melody particularly scribbling, bier-garten frequenting bohemian most texts depict. modern fashion. Much of the sonata resembles American jazz – at least True, Schubert visited Viennese pubs and winebars. So did every at a tempo less typical of Prokofiev. His customary detached style Wiener of the nineteenth century – including Mozart, resides within these chromatic elements but not with the melody, Beethoven, and even Johannes Brahms. The point being that expressly marked legato by a series of copious slurs. In this sense Schubert was a serious composer, considered himself as such, Prokofiev seems to have bridged the songs and influences of his produced an output that supports his estimation and most childhood with his unique harmonic and rhythmic impetus, the former assuredly did not compose at social gatherings except possibly as legitimizing the latter and elevating Prokofiev’s stylistic idiosyncrasies an adolescent or as a stunt. Furthermore, the prevailing social far above the status of “bad boy” rebellion to which they are conditions of his time did nothing to help Schubert. Even conventionally relegated. Beethoven felt the tremors of the falling aristocracy, as The sonata begins with a short introduction, foreshadowing the Napoleon’s depredations in the name of democracy shattered following chromatic drama and lyricism. The first theme, nobly sung aristocrats and promoted the bourgeoisie. This new middle-class amidst the afore-mentioned bass and harmonies, recalls Scriabin and preferred light salon improvisations to demanding compositions Wagner, two important and perhaps surprising influences on within the existing traditions; if one did perform the classics, one Prokofiev’s early writing. An abbreviated repeat of the introduction had better have a handsome portion of charisma and virtuoso precedes an expanded repeat of the first theme, which now appears trickery to wow the masses. It is this cultural shift from tradition in a higher register via octave doublings. This theme ends abruptly and respect for art to display of power and elevation of the self and exposes an oft-cited weakness in the sonata, namely Prokofiev’s that most damaged Schubert’s ability to support himself as a developmental prowess. As the thematic material derives from serious artist. His innovations notwithstanding, Schubert motivic manipulation in the manner of Brahms, such criticism hardly composed very much in the tradition of Bach, Mozart, and seems warranted in a general sense; yet indeed Prokofiev’s ingenuity Beethoven and possessed little talent or patience for showpieces. in manipulating his themes does not quite equal his ability to Forced to choose between empty work or an empty pocket, generate the themes from their motivic cells. As Juilliard piano Schubert chose the latter. professor David Dubal notes in his introduction to the Dover Most composers rise to fame as virtuoso performers, edition, this weakness is “easily overcome by an experienced pianist.” conductors, and improvisers. They often begin exhibiting these Such a challenge, sent from presumably Olympian heights, one would skills early in life, some early enough for surrounding adults to hope to meet and exceed … deem them prodigies. It is through the exercise of these abilities that their compositions first receive audience; as a boy, Mozart wrote his first piano concerti for performances before astounded Italian royalty. Yet in Franz Schubert’s case, no record of such activity survives, despite early choir training and the testimony of Liechtental choirmaster Michael Holzer who claims to have taught Schubert nothing but to only have conversed with him. Of course the well-informed student of music history would Perhaps this is due to a lack of parental encouragement – or undoubtedly ask Maurice Ravel, notorious champion of formal force, as the case may be (Schubert’s parents did not parade their clarity amidst Impressionist texture and harmonies, and would gifted son like a Mozart, compel late-night practice as did receive not mockery but Jeux d’eau. Based upon Lizst’s Beethoven’s father, or arrange for expensive private training as did Transcendental Etudes and Jeux d’eau a la Villa d’este from Book III of the Prokofiev family). Schubert spent far more time reading and Annees de pelerinage, Ravel’s work continues Lizst’s combination of composing than practicing scales and virtuoso pieces. His music is an harmonic experimentation and virtuosity solidly wedded to object lesson in economy; relying greatly on his inner ear, Schubert substantial musical material. created maximum effect with minimum effort. The difficulties in his The piece clearly outlines several themes in its exposition music often arise not from sheer physical impassibility, but from the beginning with a broadly arpeggiated melody. Ravel then creates a unique nature of his musical textures. transitional section based on his theme and introduces a new At age twenty, Schubert met the rakish Franz von Schober. “Oriental” melody in the manner of Debussy’s Pagodes. He A renowned womanizer who divided females into the conquerable introduces the next theme more abruptly; a series of sliding (good) and the unconquerable (bad), he nonetheless possessed a high intervals harmonize in parallel thirds and fourths. Ravel’s degree of aesthetic sensibility and decided to support Schubert’s Impressionism manifests most strongly in his “developmental talent.
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