The hidden treasure: four impressions by Charles T. Griffes
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Abstract
In the second half of the 19th century, Wagner awakened the world with his yearning opening motif in his music drama Tristan und Isolde which directly stimulated the blossoming of literature and music. Educated in Germany at fin de siècle, Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920) was an American composer whose works are saturated with the changing current of compositional methods. While Griffes is remembered primarily as an American Impressionist through his orchestral works, his art songs follow in the footsteps of the three Lieder giants, embrace the mythical and philosophical effects of Wagner’s music dramas, and infuse all these influences with a responsiveness and complete understanding of the musical languages. This document discusses the personal influences on Griffes’s art songs, theoretical connections to the three Lieder giants, aesthetic parallels between Griffes and Oscar Wilde, and highlights the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic Wagnerian influences on Griffes’s Four Impressions. A hidden treasure, this study strives to cast light on the work, illuminate the interpretation of the song cycle, and support musicians in the preparation for an informed performance.