Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.1414330
Composed by Donald Ashwander. Ragtime. Score. 8 pages. The Donald Ashwander Estate #996103. Published by The Donald Ashwander Estate (A0.1414330).
Donald Ashwander's Peacock Colors invites listeners into a kaleidoscopic world of sound, where the boundaries between genres blur and the palette of emotions shifts like the iridescent hues of a peacock's plumage.
In June 1967, Ashwander reflects, I awoke to a wonderful rainy morning. As the coffee dripped, I was filled with the luxurious feeling of having a day completely unscheduled. A perfect day for writing a new rag - the kind of rag that had never before been written. A Blues Rag-Waltz, I thought, that's the ticket! The composition, however, would not stay darkly blue as I had intended. Purples, browns, greens and in-betweens began to creep in. When the piece was complete, it had become an Iridescent Rag-Waltz. Sitting on top of my piano was an Art Nouveau vase filled with peacock feathers.
With this anecdote in mind, one can trace the genesis of Peacock Colors. There are moments of playful whimsy, where the music seems to skip and twirl like the feathers of a dancing peacock, as well as passages of introspective reflection, where the harmonies deepen and the melodies take on a more contemplative tone.
Ultimately, Peacock Colors is a testament to the power of music to transcend boundaries and capture the imagination. In Donald Ashwander's hands, the piano becomes a canvas, and each note a brushstroke, painting a vivid portrait of a world where waltz and ragtime intertwine in a glorious display of color and emotion.
