American Character

George Whitefield Chadwick (Composer), Peter Kairoff (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Peter Kairoff
• Composer: George Whitefield Chadwick
• Audio CD (March 1, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Albany Records
• ASIN: B0007RI71U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,692 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Five Pieces for Piano

2. Three Waltzes

3. Six Character Pieces, Op. 7

4. Two Caprices

5. Three Pieces for Children

6. Chanson Orientale

7. Nocturne in D-Flat

8. The Aspen

Editorial Reviews

Peter Kairoff writes: "The music of George Whitefield Chadwick is not nearly as well known as it ought to be. Although widely respected and admired in his lifetime, his music fell into relative obscurity after his death, and is only recently performed once more with any frequency. His piano music, in particular, has suffered from neglect: very few of the pieces on this disc have ever been recorded before. Why this should be so remains something of a mystery, for many of Chadwick’s piano works display the same inventiveness, charm and craftsmanship found in his orchestral and chamber works. The title of this disc – American Character – reflects the fact that all of Chadwick’s piano music is written in the style of the ‘Character Piece’: brief, memorable evocations of one particular mood or image. Chadwick was certainly able to craft large-scale forms when he wanted to, as he did in his symphonies and chamber works to great effect. But his piano works are all on a! smaller scale, like Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, Grieg’s Lyric Pieces, and so many other piano pieces of the nineteenth century. And like those models. Chadwick’s piano music often evokes the world of Art Song, that wonderful and evocative fusion of poetry and music which was so popular in the nineteenth century. Like Art Song, these piano pieces capture a single vivid mood or visual image: a rushing stream, an aspen tree shuddering in the breeze, or even a group of noisy frogs. At his death in 1931, Chadwick was hailed by the influential critic Olin Downes in The New York Times as the composer who "represents most completely the body of serious American music." Taste shifted, of course, and all too soon Chadwick’s music was forgotten, or dismissed as old fashioned. But now taste seems to be shifting back, and we are better able to appreciate the creativity, craftsmanship, and charm of a composer who himself was something of an American Character."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming Character Pieces by a Pioneering American Composer, April 6, 2005

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Character (Audio CD)

George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) started life by dealing with a number of obstacles. His mother died when he was young, his father remarried and strongly discouraged his interest in music. He was more or less left to his own devices when it came to getting an education. He was a high school drop-out, was taught music by his older brother, and got his first organ-playing job when he was in his mid-teens. He found his way to Leipzig for several years of study at the conservatory there. He eventually rose to become the director of the New England Conservatory and a leader in organizing American music education. He was a leader in the 'Second New England School' of composers, winning an early and strong reputation for his music. Then his health failed and his music essentially dropped from sight after World War I. It is only in recent years that there has been a renewed interest in his works; there has been a recent spate of recordings primarily of his orchestral and chamber works. (Check out the terrific Naxos recording of orchestral works with Kenneth Schermerhorn conducting the Nashville Symphony.) His piano music, on the other hand, has remained in the shadows. This CD attempts to partially remedy that. Pianist Peter Kairoff has resurrected 22 character pieces (out of a total of probably no more than 30 or so) for this disc and he makes a good case for them. They are, to modern ears, slight and charming, reminiscent of Grieg's 'Lyric Pieces' or Mendelssohn's 'Songs without Words.' The harmonic language is not much more advanced than those works, but there are occasional harmonic and rhythmic twists that could only come from a 19th-century American.

If one did not read the work listings on the back of the jewel box and learn that these works are collected into groups of pieces and were composed over a period of twenty years, one might well think they were all from one mega-suite; Chadwick's style does not change or advance from the earliest in the 1880s to the latest in the 1900s. Particularly charming are the 'Three Waltzes' from 1888 and the 'Three Pieces for Children' (including one called 'Diddle-Diddle Dumpling') written for teaching purposes but stylistically indistinguishable from the 'adult' pieces.

Young Californian pianist Peter Kairoff is a member of the faculty at Wake Forest University. He has written informative booklet notes and modestly tells us nothing at all about himself. His playing is characterized by clarity, subtlety and grace, all of which suit this small-scaled Romantic music. He apparently specializes in 19th-century American piano music and has also recorded a CD of music by Charles Ives's teacher, Horatio Parker, as well as one with violinist Sarah Johnson of music by Arthur Foote and Amy Beach.

Recorded sound is excellent. TT=ca. 62 mins

Scott Morrison

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really beautiful, June 4, 2006

By 

pianophile "pianophile" (NC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Character (Audio CD)

This CD has some really beautiful stuff. Maybe not every track is a masterpiece, but they are all a real pleasure to listen to. I can't believe this music is not better known. Its become one of my favorite CDs.