Wanchai Road, by Philippa Schuyler

Schuyler’s “Wanchai Road” is mysterious, spontaneous, and chaotic, reflecting the actual Wanchai Road in Hong Kong. It is reminiscent of beeping cars and tramways with a relentlessly consistent left hand rhythm, while the right hand has a syncopated, meandering melody. Although texturally thin, Wanchai Road requires dexterity and technical proficiency. The Allegretto marking increases the difficulty of the repeated notes, successive octaves, and sudden dynamic changes. She begins with “delicate nuance and shadings…”, with abrupt character shifts marked by “brutal, violent” and “strong, determined”. The opening theme returns, now marked “dark, lurking”, tapering off towards the end.

“Wanchai Road” is a late-intermediate piece, with many technical and musical challenges condensed in one minute. Potential issues include tension from the successive octaves and repeated notes, with little opportunities for rubato. Some practice strategies include:

• Leading with the thumb for successive octaves.
• Feeling the tempo “in one” instead of two to encourage a sense of line. This will also help avoid becoming technically stuck in the keys.
• Slow, metronome practice for a strong sense of pulse and understanding of the syncopation.

From the age of four years old, Philippa Schuyler spent her youth competing and touring both nationally and internationally as a pianist. In her personal life, Schuyler’s parents believed that intermarriage produced superior offspring, with their own mixed African American and white heritage contributing to Schuyler’s talents as a pianist. In addition to her internal turmoil over her family, Schuyler also faced racism and discrimination. At age 30, she began exclusively performing outside of the US, and also simultaneously began a journalism career. Over the next few years, she wrote articles and musical compositions based on her travels. At age 35, she unfortunately died on a volunteer mission to rescue orphans from a war zone.

Sources:

• Photo: Philippa Schuyler. Wikimedia Commons.
• Powell, Meili. “Philippa Schuyler (1931-1967)”, 20 May 2021.
• “Philippa Schuyler Biography, Songs, & Albums.” AllMusic.