Fancywork by Geoffrey Gordon Composer

A 2005 Barlow Endowment commission, Fancywork, for violin and guitar, received its premiere performance, by Duo46, at Sundin Music Hall, Minneapolis, in September, 2006. This is a performance by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, featuring Graeme Jennings, violin and David Tanenbaum, guitar, at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, March 26, 2012. Below are the original program notes, by the composer:

"Scholars have long categorized the colorful and playful American artifacts which date from the early part of the 19th century as “folk,” but during this period they were actually called “Fancy” and were mainstream designs for the 19th-century homes of the growing middle class. An exhibit organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum, American Fancy: Exuberance in the Arts, 1790-1840--featuring more than 200 of the most ornamental and emotionally engaging artifacts ever produced in this country, including furniture, textiles, costume, ceramics, glass, metals, paintings and prints--directly inspired the music herein.

The bright colors, vibrant patterns and imaginative designs that stirred the senses during this era of American history informed every aspect of this work, although the music is in no way intended to reflect or imitate the 19th century sonically. Rather, it is the spirit of the invention which I have attempted to capture ... the love of color, the intense joy and bursting confidence of these Fancyworks. These were invigorating and visually stimulating works, ambitious and innovative conceptions which captured the feeling of an era. And Fancy was as much a worldview as it was a style: Literary and philosophical trends, dramatic social changes and scientific inventions all contributed to the spirit of Fancy--mirroring the youthful optimism of the new nation, from its 18th-century philosophical origins to the living manifestation as art and artifact in the 19th century. Little wonder, then, that this explosion would have sufficient reverberation to inspire 21st century music.

This is a three movement work. The first and third movements, florid, exuberant and moto-rhythmic, would seem to require no further explanation. The second movement, subtitled “Kaleidoscope,” does. Part of the Fancy phenomenon included a fascination with the then brand-new kaleidoscope. “Kaleidoscope-Mania” swept the nation in the early 19th century, the oscillating colors and almost magical imagery not surprisingly resonating with the same crowd which fancied Fancy. This movement--at once shimmering and still--is a reflection of that."

Geoffrey Gordon

Contains tracks

• Fancywork I by Geoffrey Gordon Composer
• Fancywork II by Geoffrey Gordon Composer
• Fancywork III by Geoffrey Gordon Composer