Playground. Mary Watkins
"Playground" by Mary Watkins begins with a waltz-like feel, accompanied by a playful, wandering melody. The piece moves quite fast, and features many unexpected, yet still consonant harmonies. The left-hand chordal rhythms feature clustered jazz voicings, that move through varied, often distantly related keys. A surprising middle section features a sudden shift into a darker, chromatic sonic space, where parallel minor 9 chords played in a polyrhythm ascend and descend, eventually landing on a melancholic rolled chord. Every return to the waltz-like theme features progressively more improvisational lines and harmonies, eventually entering a quite moody jazz-like sonority. The last few measures of the piece feature very dissonant yet satisfying rolled chords, ending the piece on a moody ambient note. The piece blends classical waltz melodies and progressions with jazz inspired chords and tonalities. This piece was recorded by the composer in the LP Spiritsong, released in 1985, and later released in a CD.
This late intermediate piece features the following challenges:
- Fast writing with complex, jazz-related harmonies
- Waltz feel “in 1” with the need for tempo flexibility and strong sense of direction
- Polyrhythms
- Frequent changes in tempo
- Sensitivity for complex harmonic colors
Mary Watkins is a living composer and pianist whose work involves classical, jazz, and gospel traditions. A graduate of Howard University, she has become an important figure in
contemporary classical, jazz, and gospel music. Her operas, such as Dark River (based on the life of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer), showcase her use of music for social justice and historical storytelling. She has composed a wide variety of music, including opera, film, chamber, and solo piano music. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.
Sources
- Photo: Mary Watkins’ Website.
- Mary Watkins’ Website.
- Mary Watkins. Wikipedia.
Playground, by Mary Watkins. Performed by Jude Dow-Hygelund