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Air and Simple Gifts

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Air and Simple Gifts
byJohn Williams
(afterJoseph Brackett)
From left to right: Perlman, Montero, Ma, and McGill at the premiere.
GenreChamber music
Premiere
DateJanuary 20, 2009
LocationFirst inauguration of Barack Obama
PerformersYo-Yo Ma,Itzhak Perlman,Gabriela Montero,andAnthony McGill

Air and Simple Giftsis aquartetcomposed and arranged[1]byAmericancomposerJohn Williamsfor the January 20, 2009,inauguration of Barack Obamaas the44thPresident of the United States.The first public performance of the piece was inWashington, D.C.,immediately prior to Obama taking the oath of office, when musiciansAnthony McGill(clarinet),Itzhak Perlman(violin),Yo-Yo Ma(cello) andGabriela Montero(piano)[2]synced their performance to a tape they had recorded two days earlier.[3]It was the first classical quartet to be performed at a presidential inauguration.[4]Obama officially became the 44th President of the United States while the piece was being performed, at noon, as theUnited States Constitutionstipulates.[5]

Although it appeared that the piece was being performed live, it was in fact mimed while a recording made two days before was fed to the television pool and speakers.[3]Yo-Yo Ma told NPR'sAll Things Consideredthat the piano keys had been decoupled from the hammers, and the bows of the stringed instruments had been soaped to silence them.[6]The performers stated that the cold 28 °F (−2 °C) weather could have affected the tuning and durability of the instruments, making a live performance too risky.[7]

Williams based the piece on the familiar 19th centuryShakerhymn "Simple Gifts"byJoseph Brackett.[8]The source piece is famous for its appearance inAaron Copland's balletAppalachian Spring.[2]Williams chose the selection from Copland, one of Obama's favorite classical composers.[9]

The piece is slightly under 4.5 minutes. It is structured in roughly three parts.[8]The first section presents the "Air"material, consisting of a spare, descendingmodalmelody introduced by violin, pensively explored in duet with cello and piano accompaniment. The entrance of the clarinet, playing the "Simple Gifts" theme, signals the beginning of a small set ofvariationson that melody.[10]The "Air" melody at first intermingles with the "Gifts" theme, though it is supplanted by increasingly energetic variations. Midway through, thekeyshifts fromA majortoD major,in which the piece concludes. A shortcodareprising the "Air" material follows the most vigorous of the "Gifts" variations. The piece concludes with an unusual series ofcadences,ending with chord progression D-major followed by B-major, G-minor and finally D-major.

Yo-Yo Maplayed hisStradivariuscellocalled theDavidov Stradivarius,andItzhak Perlmanplayed his Stradivariusviolincalled theSoil Stradivarius,made in 1712 and 1714 respectively, both during Stradivari's "golden period".Gabriela Monteroplayed aSteinwayconcertgrand piano,modelD-274.[11]Anthony McGillplayed aBuffetclarinet.

References[edit]

  1. ^Inauguration,The Washington Post.Accessed January 21, 2009.
  2. ^abBurlingame, Jon (2009-01-15)."Williams' music to Obama's ears:Ma, Perlman to perform at inauguration".Variety.Retrieved2009-01-20.
  3. ^abAchenbach, Joel (January 23, 2009)."Yo-Yo Milli Vanilli".The Washington Post.RetrievedJanuary 23,2009.
  4. ^Miller, Michelle (2009-01-16)."Yo-Yo Ma Thrilled To Play At Inauguration:Sneak Preview Of Song Cellist Who Has Played For Five Presidents Will Play For Obama".CBS News.Retrieved2009-01-20.
  5. ^Yakin, Heather (2009-01-20)."Students cheer as Obama sworn in".Times-Herald Record.Retrieved2009-01-20.
  6. ^Siegel, Robert (January 23, 2009)."On Inauguration Day, Live Music Wasn't".NPR's All Things Considered.RetrievedJanuary 23,2009.
  7. ^Wakin, Daniel (2009-01-22)."The Famous Fingers Were Live, but Their Sounds? Recorded".The New York Times.Retrieved2009-01-22.
  8. ^abSteinberg, Martin (2009-01-20)."John Williams' inauguration quartet is a simple gift filled with hope and optimism".Newsday.Associated Press.Retrieved2009-01-20.
  9. ^Smith, Tim (2009-01-20)."Inaugural premiere resonates with Copland".The Baltimore Sun.Retrieved2009-01-20.
  10. ^Tommasini, Anthony (2009-01-20)."A New Williams Work for a Momentous Occasion".The New York Times.Retrieved2009-01-20.
  11. ^MusicUSA Today.Accessed January 23, 2009.

External links[edit]

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