- Title
- Four Piano Blues
- For
- piano
- Year Composed
- 1926–48
- ARCO Number(s)
- 60
- Category
- Piano Solo
- Duration
- 8'
- Movements
- 1. Freely poetic (for Leo Smit) Duration: 2'
Year Composed: 1947- Version: 1st Blues in Four Piano Blues (arr. chamber orchestra) (1978–79) for chamber orchestra
- 2. Soft and languid (for Andor Foldes) Duration: 2:30'Extracted From: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! (1934)
Year Composed: 1926 and 34
Alternate Titles: Hommage à Milhaud (Previous Title), Dove Dance (Alternate/Synonymous) - 3. Muted and sensuous (for William Kapell) Duration: 3'
Year Composed: 1948- Version: 2nd Blues in Four Piano Blues (arr. chamber orchestra) (1978–79) for chamber orchestra
- 4. With bounce (for John Kirkpatrick) Duration: 1:30'
Year Composed: 1926
Alternate Title: Blues No. 2 (Previous Title)
- 1. Freely poetic (for Leo Smit)
- Premiere
- New York, March 13th, 1950 (Leo Smit)
- Publisher
- Boosey & Hawkes
- Publishing Status
- Published
- Arrangements
- Four Piano Blues (for saxophone quartet) (arr. Paul Cohen)
Buying Options
Boosey & HawkesProgram Note
Composed at various times between 1926 and 1948, these short and rather simple pieces can be performed individually or together as Copland finally grouped them. The order does not follow the order of composition, nor are these "blues" in any strict sense. The first performance of Four Blues was by Leo Smit in a League of Composers concert in New York in 1950. Each Blues is dedicated to a pianist with a close connection to Copland's piano music: Leo Smit; Andor Foldes; William Kapell; and John Kirkpatrick.
- Author
- Vivian Perlis
- Year
- 1998
