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Green Ways is a set of three short atmospheric piano works composed by John Ireland in 1937; entitled ''The Cherry Tree'', ''Cypress'' and ''The Palm and May''. They were written when the composer was 57, and are among the last pieces he wrote for piano. Green Ways sets out to depict in music quotations from A.E. Housman (with whom he had a close affinity), William Shakespeare and Thomas Nashe, and are full of typical Ireland lyricism and flowing harmonies. ==The Cherry Tree == ''The Cherry Tree'' is prefixed with the last stanza from ''Loveliest of Trees'', the second poem in the collection ''A Shropshire Lad'' (1896) by A.E. Housman:'' And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow. The piece is very rich in colour and tone and is in a very resonant D major all the way through, except for the central section that is not key-signatured. The tempo marking is quaver = 120, though it is common practice to slow this down to 104108, allowing a more comfortable ride but losing none of the richness. The notes lie comfortably under the hands (a common characteristic with much of Ireland’s piano works - for example, his Piano Concerto in Eb Major is an ideal work for the gifted pianist with smaller hands) once one becomes used to the colourful harmonies. This is a popular piece amongst pianists due to the opportunities to show a personal response to the music. Good legato fingering and confident flutter pedalling is required to bring out the tones, and a good balance between the voices must be adhered to. The piece carries a dedication to Herbert S. Brown and appeared in the 1999-2000 Associated Board Grade 8 syllabus for the piano.〔Piano Examination Pieces 1999-2000, Grade 8, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Green Ways (John Ireland)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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