Farwell: Piano Music, Vol. 3

Thomas, Lisa Cheryl

The American composer Arthur Farwell (1872–1952) is remembered as the leading member of a group of ‘Indianists’ who used Native American tribal melodies in their own compositions. In fact, Farwell’s stylistic range was much wider than is realized today, as this third album in Lisa Thomas’ pioneering survey of his piano music demonstrates. It reveals the influence of both Debussy and Skryabin, perhaps even Busoni and, in the two ‘Navajo War Dances’ here, intriguing parallels with Bartok. Farwell plainly had an imaginative mind with a sharp sense of keyboard drama, color, and atmosphere- and a sense of humor: which other composer ever wrote a ‘Laughing Piece?’ Lisa Cheryl Thomas graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of North Texas in 2010. She is herself of Native American stock, counting members of the Cherokee, Blackfoot, and Sioux tribes among her ancestors, and her doctoral thesis addressed ‘Native American Elements in Piano Repertoire by the Indianist and Present Day Native American Composers.’

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