Student Recital Series
2023 – 2024 Season
Sara M. Snell Music Theater Sunday,April 14th at 12:35 PM
Vanessa Cruz, violin
Julie Miller, piano
Sonata No.1 in G minor BWV 1001 (1720)
I. Adagio J.S. Bach (1685– 1750)
Suite for Violin and Piano (1943)
I. African Dancer
II. Mother and Child
III. Gamin’
William Grant Still (1895 – 1943)
In loving memory of Joan McFadden (1939-2022)
Vanessa Cruz is from the studio of Liesl Doty
This program is presented to fulfill the junior recital requirement for the Bachelor of Music Degree in Performance.
PROGRAM NOTES
Violin Sonata No.1 in G minor (1720) J.S. Bach
Bach's first sonata for solo violin is a piece that carries a serious tone without being overly solemn. The sonata's timbre is emphasized by Bach's choice of key, G minor, which benefits from the warm resonance of the violin's lower strings, G and D. These open strings are skillfully used as pedal tones, providing a solid foundation for the harmonies throughout the piece. The initialAdagio prelude sets a free and improvisatory mood, adorned with numerous written-out embellishments. It explores the harmonic landscape of G minor and its neighboring tonalities, creating a varied and expressive musical journey.
Suite for Violin and Piano (1943)
William Grant Still
The Suite for Violin and Piano is a musical representation of three artworks by AfricanAmerican artists linked to the Harlem Renaissance. In the first movement, Still combines energetic and confident music with introspective bluesy elements, inspired by Richmond Barthé's African Dancer. The second movement, resembling a lullaby, was influenced by Sargent Johnson's Mother and Child sculptures and paintings. Lastly, the third movement, titled Gamin, incorporates syncopated rhythm and blues motifs to capture the carefree spirit found inAugusta Savage's bust of a young man.
Richmond Barthé, African Dancer (1933) Sargent Johnson, Mother and Child (1932) Augusta Savage, Gamin (1929) (Whitney Museum of American Art) (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) (The Smithsonian American Art Museum)
