Zenobia Powell Perry

Rhapsody, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 18:07:04 +0000

Rhapsody, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/21/2022 - 12:07

Arjun Novotny-Shandas

Rhapsody by Zenobia Powell Perry is an expansive piece with six distinct sections of varying characters, tempos, and lengths. Sometimes the sections build off of each other, and other times they have sudden, abrupt transitions. The first three sections have a heavy focus on the melody, which soars above an increasingly difficult harmonic left hand part. There can also be significant flexibility in the timing of these sections, allowing one to better shape the contours of the melodic line. The fourth section is choppy, rhythmic, and dissonant. It stands out stylistically as the most divergent section and is difficult make sense of. The fifth section is a return to the original mood, while carrying over some of the drama of the fourth section. The sixth, final section is regal and mostly consonant. It is the only section Powell Perry added dynamics to, giving it climactic power.

The most difficult part of Rhapsody is the constant ascending and descending left hand in the second and third sections. Preventing them from feeling out of control, especially when it becomes frenzied triplets, is important in maintaining the phrase structure. The fast fourth section is not easy to make consistent either.

Overall, Rhapsody is a beautiful piece that offers a sampling of Powell Perry’s compositional style and helps one better understand how to design phrases that make sense (she has no phrase markings).

Zenobia Powell Perry (1908-2004) was an African American composer, professor and civil rights activist. She taught in historically black colleges and universities. Her musical style is described as “music with clear, classic melodies.” She studied piano and violin in her childhood. Her most powerful musical experience was hearing Hazel Harrison (African-American pianist) in a concert.

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Zenobia Powell Perry
Image source: Zenobia Powell Perry - Drizzle Lyrics

Rhapsody, by Zenobia Powell Perry. Performed by Arjun Novotny-Shandas.

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Round and Round, from Piano Potpourri. Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 23:27:03 +0000

Round and Round, from Piano Potpourri. Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/15/2021 - 17:27

Elizabeth Smith

Round and Round is a short, 2 minute piece composed in 1990 as part of Zenobia Powell Perry's Piano Potpourri. The piece is written in 6/8, which helps teach students how to internalize and practice in different meters. The motion of the piece emphasizes beats 1 and 3 for the majority of the piece, making it a good fit for a pianist who needs practice in 6/8. There are no dynamic markings in the piece, so the pianist must be creative in coming up with their own to create contrast. The texture of the piece is lean, as it is written mostly in two-voice counterpoint, mostly in d natural minor. The modal color permeating the piece gives it a certain folk flavor, and makes it an attractive option for a mid-intermediate performer who is comfortable reading a wide range of notes.

Homage is published in the anthology Black Women Composers: A Century of Piano Music (1893-1990) edited by Helen Walker Hill and published by Hildegard Publishing.

Sources

Zenobia Powell Perry
Image source: Zenobia Powell Perry - Drizzle Lyrics

Performed by Elizabeth Smith.

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Homage, from Piano Potpourri. By Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 03:53:43 +0000

Homage, from Piano Potpourri. By Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/18/2021 - 21:53

Elizabeth Smith

Homage is a movement in the set Piano Potpourri. Composed in 1990, it employs a wide variety of different textures and techniques, including octaves, dense chords, and chromaticism. Homage is dedicated to black composer William Dawson, and is based on the spiritual “I’ve Been Buked and I’ve Been Scorned”, which is played unaccompanied at the beginning of the piece. It would be a good fit for a student at the advanced level due to the jumps in the left hand and complex pedaling, and the student would have to be a strong reader to notice the subtle changes between similar motives.

Homage is published in the anthology Black Women Composers: A Century of Piano Music (1893-1990) edited by Helen Walker Hill and published by Hildegard Publishing.

Zenobia Powell Perry (1908-2004) was an African American composer, professor and civil rights activist. She taught in some historically black colleges and universities. Her musical style is described as “music with clear, classic melodies.” She studied piano and violin in her childhood. Her most powerful musical experience was hearing Hazel Harrison (African-American pianist) in a concert.

Sources

Homage, from Piano Potpourri. By Zenobia Powell Perry. Performed by Elizabeth Smith.

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"Times Seven," from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 16:36:13 +0000

"Times Seven," from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/16/2020 - 09:36

Boheng Wang

Times Seven is a 6-minute, 7-page piece composed by Zenobia Powell Perry in 1985. The title "Times Seven" may be based on a passage from Matthew 18:21-22 from the Christian New Testament, but there is no source to conclusevely prove that. This piece has many dissonant harmonies. It starts with an Adagio section with two voices that move in parallel fifths. This material is developed quite a bit throughout this piece. There are 6 different tempo markings. The character each section is very different from one another - some are lyrical, some are dramatic. The opening material can be heard in every section, it is sometimes in the chords, in the top voice, or in the bass.

This piece is in the advanced level. It requires the pianist to play on a wide range on the keyboard using many different articulations. Technique to voice the melody in the chords is important to make the opening theme stand out.

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"Blaize," from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 01:51:55 +0000

"Blaize," from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/10/2020 - 18:51

Boheng Wang

Blaize is a short, two-minute piece written by Zenobia Powell Perry in 1985. A rhythmic and muscular piece, it sounds very chromatic, and almost never lands on a cadence until the very last measure. It is built mostly on parallel triads in the right hand. There are some interesting transpositions from measure to measure to increase the momentum. Perry is very clear about the tempo (quarter note = 112) and articulation (non legato). It begins with chords in both hands in mezzo-forte. It challenges pianists to phrase the line while playing non legato and play evenly in tempo while alternating chords in left and right hands. The piece should be played with a lot of energy. There are not a lot of dynamic changes throughout the piece until the big crescendo at the very end, but there are some surprising sforzato.

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"Promenade," from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 01:28:56 +0000

"Promenade," from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/10/2020 - 18:28

Boheng Wang

"Promenade" is a 3-minute piece by Zenobia Powell Perry. It has an ABA structure. The A and B sections have very different characters. Section A sounds like a joyful and upbeat march with two paired phrases. At the end of the second phrase, the transition material leads the music into section B. Section B does not have dotted rhythms as section A does. It has a straighter tempo instead. The octaves, big jumps, dynamic markings, and chromatics make it sound more mysterious and intense. Some of the chromatic phrases sound quite like Prokofiev.

This piece is categorized into early advance category because of some technical challenges in the B section, such as octaves jumps and duple vs triple rhythm. With section A, the student could learn to experiment with dynamics and character since there are not a lot of dynamic markings in this section. It is a fun piece to learn and play.

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Vignette No. 1, from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 15:01:10 +0000

Vignette No. 1, from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 04/26/2020 - 09:01

Boheng Wang

“Vignette No. 1” is a short, elementary-level piece that has only 17 measures. It was composed by Perry in 1990. The composer suggested to play it in Moderato tempo and mezzo-forte dynamics. It does not require the use of pedal. When playing this piece, the hands are not in fixed position, but they do not move around too much. Right hand and left hand play separately until measure 11. When both hands are playing together, it could be a challenge for beginners to phrase two different melodies well so that they both sound clear. More experienced students could experiment with articulation and dynamics on their own in the acceptable range.

The piece does not feature harmonies; instead, it has two contrapuntal lines that are melodious and lyrical. They sounds like two people having a small conversation. The piece begins with one person telling a story, then another person answers back. A quiet and calm conversation that ends happily because of the authentic cadence at the end of the piece.

Piano Potpourri is a set of 15 piano pieces composed between 1960 and 1990. The levels of the pieces vary from elementary to late advanced. The set has a thick structure and deep emotion overall.

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“Orrin and Echo,” from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 15:00:17 +0000

“Orrin and Echo,” from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 04/26/2020 - 09:00

Boheng Wang

“Orrin and Echo” is a short piece that is less than a minute. It is in the late elementary to early intermediate level. Some chords are introduced in the left hand. It uses an ABA form with repeats. For the first part of this piece, the right hand sings the melody, while the left hand accompanies with some chords. For the second part, both hands play the melody back and forth, in an echo effect, which explains the title. The identity of “Orrin,” however, is unknown. The melody sounds like an American folk tune, based on a pentatonic scale.

This piece requires phrasing skills to make the beautiful melody sing. The rhythm of the melody is fairly simple with mostly 16th notes. Therefore, phrasing with the harmony and playing with a little timing flexibility could make it sound more interesting.

Piano Potpourri is a set of piano pieces composed between 1960 and 1990. There are 15 pieces in the set. The levels of the pieces vary from elementary to late advanced. The set has a thick structure and deep emotion overall.

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“Orrin and Echo,” from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry. Performed by Elizabeth Smith.

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“Ties,” from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 14:59:10 +0000

“Ties,” from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 04/26/2020 - 08:59

Boheng Wang

“Ties” is a short, one-page, early intermediate piece with two beautiful melodies happening at the same time in both hands. As the name implies, this piece features frequent ties in both hands. It is a great example of the use of counterpoint in music, where getting all the right notes is not challenging, but making both melodies sing and sound independent could be challenging for beginners. All the slurs the composer provided indicate all the beautiful phrasing she wanted. Pedal could be added to add some colors and to help with the phrasing, but it is not required. The melody, like in other pieces in this collection, sounds slightly pentatonic and features an American folk flavor.

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“Flight,” from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 14:58:16 +0000

“Flight,” from Piano Potpourri, by Zenobia Powell Perry Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 04/26/2020 - 08:58

Boheng Wang

“Flight” was written by Perry in the 70s. This is a 4 page late intermediate piece that should be played in a fast tempo (presto). It explores the range of the piano from E1 to F#7. It involves lots of chromatic pitches and dissonant harmonies. The piece also has a very wide dynamic range, which makes it very exciting to play. Throughout the piece, only forte and fortissimo are marked at the beginning and the end of the score, but it allows the pianists to be creative in the middle part with dynamics. Pedal could be used in some sections with arpeggiated chord accompaniment and big chords at the end to make the sound smoother and fuller.

The tempo and the chromaticism give this piece an intense feeling. Even though the accompaniment in the left hand is steady, it sounds like there is tension in the music, and the music is waiting to “go crazy.” It ends with several big chords with E in the root; it sounds like an ending of a concerto.

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Zenobia Powell Perry

Rhapsody, by Zenobia Powell Perry

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Round and Round, from Piano Potpourri. Zenobia Powell Perry

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