Powell, John. (1882-1963)
Autograph Musical Quotation, "Rhapsodie Negre."
A rare AMQS from the American pianist and composer, one of the earliest to integrate African American folk music into a European tradition."After living in London for several years, Powell returned to Richmond, where he developed an interest in black American folksong. His reputation as an important American composer was established with the première of Rhapsodie négre for piano and orchestra (1918). Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the work quotes black American melodies and uses syncopated ragtime rhythms. Powell, however, did not believe that black melodies could serve as a basis for a national school of composition. In a lecture given in Houston on 6 April 1923 he expressed concern about the ‘melting pot’ conception of America and about the possibility that the country might be peopled by an octoroon race. The Sonata for Violin and Piano (1918) is among the last of his works to show traces of post-Romanticism. During the 1930s and 40s, Anglo-American folk influences took on increasingly important roles in his compositions. The Symphony in A (1945), for example, while cast in traditional symphonic form, is written in a modal style and quotes many folk melodies. Powell also completed numerous arrangements of traditional folksongs, dances and hymn tunes." (David Z. Kushner, Grove Online) (1709)
AMQS Classical Music