Music of Herbert Elwell, John Verrall, & George Walker
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL270     Release Date: 2010-09-15
Maxine Makas, soprano; Anthony Makas, piano; The Berkshire Quartet; Urico Rossi, violin; Irving Ilmer, violin; David Dawson, viola; Fritz Magg, cello; George Walker, piano

Herbert Elwell was born in Minneapolis in 1898, and studied composition with Ernest Bloch in New York, and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. From 1923 to 1926 he was a Fellow at the American Academy in Rome.

Over his long and distinguished career, Mr. Elwell has shown a special talent for setting serious poetry to music. His forces have ranged from full orchestral accompaniments to the evocative piano settings on this record. His music is well-known to audiences of the Cleveland, St. Louis and Buffalo orchestras, where it was played under such distinguished conductors as Leopold Stokowski, Artur Rodzinski, George Szell and William Steinberg.


About his music, John Verrall writes:

"String Quartet No. 7 was written in 1962 at Ben Lomond, California, and premiered the following season by the Berkshire String Quartet at the University of Indiana. I have used a personalized, 10-note scale (G#-A-B-C-D-D#-E-F#-G-G#), either serially (as in the slow, somber middle section) or as a 'field of sound' exploring the many rich vertical and horizontal dissonant intervals present in the scale. The scale, which imparts a feeling of modality, is the basic means by which the work is unified.

"I have always been interested in warm, rich combinations of sound, and yet have desired to carry my music into new areas of texture and design. The use of the personalized scale and a fondness for contrapuntal textures has helped me to fuse these various elements into a unified style.

George Walker's Spatials (1960) is a 12-tone work consisting of a theme with six variants.

The four movements of Sonata No. 2 are (1) ten variations on a ground bass (an augmentation of the theme above it); (2) a brief scherzo and trio; (3) an intense song form, and (4) a condensed sonatina movement. The melodic, harmonic and formal relationships of the Sonata all derive from the interval of a third.

Spektra (1970) receives its premiere performance on this recording. The composer describes it as "essentially a fantasy of color and varying intensities."


This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.

Various Artists

Music of Herbert Elwell, John Verrall, & George Walker

MP3/320 $7.99
FLAC $7.99
WAV $7.99
CD-R $7.99
CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print material or jewel case included.
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
   Liner Notes



Track Listing

I Look Back
Herbert Elwell
Buy
Wistful
Herbert Elwell
Buy
Service of all the Dead
Herbert Elwell
Buy
A Child's Grace
Herbert Elwell
Buy
This Glittering Grief
Herbert Elwell
Buy
The Ouselcock
Herbert Elwell
Buy
String Quartet No. 7
John Verrall
Buy
Spatials - Variations for Piano
George Walker
Buy
Piano Sonata No. 2: I. Adagio non troppo
George Walker
Buy
Piano Sonata No. 2: II. Presto
George Walker
Buy
Piano Sonata No. 2: III. Adagio
George Walker
Buy
Piano Sonata No. 2: IV. Allegretto tranquillo
George Walker
Buy
Spektra
George Walker
Buy