Moonbeams Dance by Carroll Gibbons needs to be played in a swing style meaning that a triplet feel needs to be communicated in performances of the mus Show More...
Moonbeams Dance by Carroll Gibbons needs to be played in a swing style meaning that a triplet feel needs to be communicated in performances of the music. Novelty piano succeeded the ragtime era of the early 20th century. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 110 bpm. Much novelty music was written for the piano and many of the pianists were simply wizards in terms of their skill at playing the instrument. That said there is a strong repetitive element in the musical style which enable challenges to be managed. There are many technical challenges to manage when playing this movement and they can be mastered if each is identified and practiced methodically whilst retaining a lightness in the hands. The music editor deliberately avoids putting more than one articulation marking on a note. The rôle of the left hand is to essentially play the bass and accompanying chords. The left hand stretches often involve leaps of a tenth and more and in this respect there is a connection with stride piano which is a related style also emerging from ragtime piano. Novelty piano music tends to be played at a fast tempo. The 110 quarter note beats to the minute tempo in the sheet music video score is, the music editor suggests, a rather cautious tempo. Carroll Gibbons was a American pianist, composer and band leader largely remembered for his recordings and performances in London during the 1930’s & 1940’s. A wonderful piano player there are a few video clips available on YouTube that can be viewed to observe the great facility and technique that he possessed. The music combines bass & chord with an inventive and energetic melody line. The musical ideas and figuration that feature in Moonbeams Dance are understandably pianistic and fourths are a strong feature in the repeating A section. The phrase structure generally refences the characteristic 8 bar patterns typical of music from the dance band era with which Carroll Gibbons was closely associated. A knowledge of chords and how they are described is a requirement playing this and many other popular music styles. The chromatic element is also quite strong. The sectional form of the movement can be summarised as follows: Intro A B A C D A Coda Close
Summer Rain by Carroll Gibbons, is an advanced level novelty piano solo, composed in 1937. The realisation plays back at 84 half note or minim beats Show More...
Summer Rain by Carroll Gibbons, is an advanced level novelty piano solo, composed in 1937. The realisation plays back at 84 half note or minim beats in the swing triplet sections and 64 half note or minim beats in all the straight slower section. Swing playing involves playing the eighth notes or quavers in a triplet pattern or context. The swing aspect to the piano playing means that the music has to be approached with a lightness in the hands and arms. In novelty piano music the full range of the 88 note piano keyboard is often explored. The music editor suggests learning this piece in sections subsequently playing whole phrases and sections. The tempo instruction is essentially “play the music as fast as you dare.” The left hand stretches from bar 10 need to be managed by rolling the hand left to right so that the notes sound using a technique borrowed from the contemporary stride piano era. At bar 20 the music editor suggests that the reverse process is in place in that the rolling effect this time is from right to left. Appreciate that the notation of music in all its idioms and styles is sometimes challenging and ambiguous to understand. The 8 bar introduction is played in a straight rhythm. The section from bar 9 to bar 68 is played in a swing style meaning that the music needs to be played with a triplet feel. This is followed by a 4 bar link in straight rhythm preceding a slower section from bar 73 to bar 104 also played without a swing feel. The final section from bar 104 to 144 is again in a swing style returning to the idiom and style of bars 6-65. In context this final section is best considered as a play out quite relevant in the broadcasting of music at the time. The sections played in a swing style need to be approached with a lightness in the hands and stretches need to be managed and practiced. The writing is pianistic meaning that the chord choices and voicing are playable. The chromatic element is also strong. Take note of the tempo changes and dynamic markings because they certainly assist in making a performance manageable. The use of the sustaining pedal is essential when performing this style of music composed at a time when there were many fine piano manufacturers were in business in the UK. The music editor has not been able to source as many recordings of this novelty piece as he anticipated in the preparation of the score. Additionally there is the suggestion that the notated copy of Summer Rain is very much a musical sketch. Interpret some or all of the “sketch” as you wish. Novelty pianists in the 1920 and 1930’s were generally well trained musicians who decided on a career choice to play, arrange and compose music in the many popular music idioms and styles that emerged in the 1920’s and 30’s. Broadcast opportunities, the recording and film industries also provided additional incentives and motivation. Playing through the repertoire of this great period of song writing 1920- 1940’s enabled GIbbons and other contemporary pianists to acquire a unique knowledge of chords and harmonic options and choices available when it came to composing their own music. Carroll Gibbons was a most gifted pianist although other novelty pianists and composers have left more extensive legacies of notated and published music. Carroll Gibbons was an exceptional music performer and he left a rich recording legacy although sadly only a few instrumental pieces were published for piano. The strength of Gibbon’s writing is in the inventiveness of both the rhythmic and melodic elements combined with a nuanced choice of chords. The fully voiced chord choices in the piano writing more than suggest his background as a band leader. His piano touch and technique were unique – he was a quite exceptional musical leader and performer. Carroll Gibbons, although born in America, became a London based pianist and band leader working at the Savoy Hotel and leading the Savoy Opheans. He worked for HMV as Director of Light Music and recorded extensively with a small combo group known as Carroll Gibbons and his Boyfriends. The recording legacy of popular songs of the day features singers Anne Lenner and Hildegarde. He was a wonderful pianist and there are a few clips of his playing can be seen on YouTube. Close
Bubbling Over is a novelty piano solo by Carroll Gibbons published in 1937. The playback tempo of the realisation is 84 half note or minim beats to th Show More...
Bubbling Over is a novelty piano solo by Carroll Gibbons published in 1937. The playback tempo of the realisation is 84 half note or minim beats to the minute and 72 half note bpm in the section from bars 79 to 110. It is a movement that needs to be played in a swing style. Carroll Gibbons was a wonderful musical talent and pianist kept busy at the Savoy Hotel in the war years. Broadcasting on a regular basis his playing is well documented in the recording sense although sadly not much of his piano music is available in print. Although American by birth he lived and worked in England. The quality of his musicianship is down to a combination his wonderful knowledge of chords, a repertoire largely based on the songbooks of the 1930’s & 40’s combined with experience leading bands in his working years. For the enthusiast there is archive material to discover on Carroll Gibbons. His performances particularly of popular songs are well documented with many broadcasts and recordings of his music available on streaming media. He is associated with many of the finest artists of his day including the singers Anne Lenner and Hildegarde. Pianists intending to play this particular piece well will need to have an excellent piano technique. Many of the techniques that feature in the popular piano styles of the 20th century can be identified in Bubbling Over. A light piano touch is needed and players need to play accurately and above all with rhythmic security and command. Gibbons is fond of using 2 bar links enabling him to change the mood and key in his music and there is an example of this from bar 77-78. Managing the weight in the hands is crucial in performing complex chordal music like this on a piano. It’s probably best to learn the movement as three separate sections and then perform the work as a whole. Careful attention needs to be paid to the note reading and the stretches in both hands need to be carefully managed. The swing style of playing requires the music to be performed with a triplet feel and this is not particularly well represented on the sheet music page with clarity. This is the reason why it is important and necessary for pianists to listen to Carroll Gibbons recordings playing his own music. The chromatic element in the writing is strong. The pianos in England when this music was composed were often made by Challen which had quite a light touch. Bubbling Over is described as a Foxtrot and has a sectional structure. After a 4 bar introduction there is a 35 bar A section in the key of D succeeded by a 32 bar B section in the key of F. After a two bar link this is followed by a 32 bar section in the key of G with the final section being a repeat of the opening Section A with the addition of a 6 bar coda. The A section is very typical of novelty music style whilst the B section is chordal in character. Section C features cross hand playing with the melody played in the tenor line with a bass line and off beat chords succeeded by the repetition of the A section and coda. His arrangements demonstrate a great awareness of harmonic colouring in both the choice of chords in the harmonic progression sense and the additional notes added to chords. Close
