La Savane(The Savannah), Op. 3, is a composition in the form of aballadewritten for piano in 1846 by the American composerLouis Moreau Gottschalk.With the subtitleBallade Créole,it was first published in 1849 by Gottschalk's publisher 'Escudiers' and again in 1850 byEditions Schott,[1]with a dedication toMaria II of Portugalon the composer's assumption that a trip fromMadridtoLisbonduring his concert tour in the spring of that year was likely to happen.[2]
La Savaneis supposedly inspired by the local story that the skeletons of runaway slaves who perished in the swamps around New Orleans had turned into oaks.[3]It features an introductory melody that resembles the folk tuneSkip to My Lou,[2]but it is actually based on portions of theCreoleLouisiana songLolotteorPov'piti Lolotte.[4]Written in thekeyofE-flat minor,it consists of 146barsand has an 84bpmAndantetempo, with the mood marked ascon malinconia.
References
edit- ^Parakilas, James (1992).Ballads without words: Chopin and the tradition of the instrumental Ballade.Amadeus Press. p. 300.ISBN093-134-047-0.
- ^abStarr, S. Frederick (2000).Louis Moreau Gottschalk.University of Illinois Press. pp. 74–80.ISBN025-206-876-9.
- ^Taruskin, Richard (2009).Music in the Nineteenth Century.Oxford University Press. pp. nn.ISBN978-019-538-483-3.
- ^Hyperion Records."La savane 'Ballade créole', RO232 Op 3".Hyperion-records.co.uk.Retrieved14 July2012.
External links
edit- La Savane:Scores at theInternational Music Score Library Project
 | This article about aclassicalcompositionis astub.You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |