Edward MacDowell - Woodland Sketches, Op. 51

Edward MacDowell

(December 18, 1860[1] – January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist of the Romantic period.

He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites Woodland Sketches, Sea Pieces and New England Idylls. Woodland Sketches includes his most popular short piece, "To a Wild Rose". In 1904 he was one of the first seven Americans honored by membership in the American Academy.

 

Woodland Sketches, Op. 51

The “Woodland Sketches” piano suite is one of two works (the other being Piano Concerto No. 2) that secures MacDowell’s throne in the pantheon of American greats. The suite consists of 10 pieces, each depicting a specific image uniquely associated with the American countryside. The most renowned, “To a Wild Rose”, found its way into a permanent presence within the common repertoire and into popular culture. The pieces, often sharing stylistic motifs, are recombined and summarized in the last movement, “Told at Sunset”.


Catalogue: Op. 51
Order:
No. 1 - To a Wild Rose: 0:08
No. 2 - Will-o’-the-Wisp: 1:48
No. 3 - At an Old Trysting Place: 3:12
No. 4 - In Autumn: 4:59
No. 5 - From an Indian Lodge: 6:33
No. 6 - To a Water Lily: 9:13
No. 7 - From Uncle Remus: 11:28
No. 8 - A Deserted Farm: 12:42
No. 9 - By a Meadow Brook: 15:18
No. 10 - Told at Sunset: 16:17

Performer: Alan Mandel on piano