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Some Piano Compositions by Nicolas Economou, Notated Post Mortem from the Composer’s Recordings

Received: 27 May 2015     Accepted: 1 June 2015     Published: 18 June 2015
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Abstract

The paper examines the nocturnes of the Cypriot composer and pianist Nicolas Economou (1953-1993) and how much they reflected the traditions of the genre of the piano nocturnes from the 19th Century, enriched with contemporary compositional techniques from the 20th Century. The different approach towards the structure as well as the influence of the jazz instrumental culture, mark a radical departure from the old forms. This is a consequence not only of the artistic temperament of Economou but also of the fact that he never notated but only recorded the nocturnes. The piano was his true medium of expression; therefore the compositions retain a strong element of improvisation and nonconformity. The cycle of eight nocturnes testify to the great improvisatory gift and spontaneity of Nicolas Economou as one the most significant Cypriot composers of the 20th Century.

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 3, Issue 5-1)

This article belongs to the Special Issue Musical Theory, Psychology, Pedagogy and Performing

DOI 10.11648/j.ijla.s.2015030501.13
Page(s) 25-30
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Nicolas Economou, Piano, Nocturne, Improvisation, Jazz, Cypriot Composer, Chick Korea, Romanticism

References
[1] Kennedy, Michael, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Oxford University Press (Oxford, 2004), p.516.
[2] Konen, Valentina, History of Music (3d edition), Music (Moscow, 1982)
[3] The Nicolas Economou Foundation Official Website www.nicolaseconomou.com
[4] Sadie, Stanley. (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Macmillan Publishers Limited (London, 1980), Volume 4, 6 & 13.
[5] Wagenheim, Allan J., John Field and the Nocturne, Xlibris Corporation (New York, 2006), p.14
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Galina Dimova Georgieva. (2015). Some Piano Compositions by Nicolas Economou, Notated Post Mortem from the Composer’s Recordings. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 3(5-1), 25-30. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.s.2015030501.13

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    ACS Style

    Galina Dimova Georgieva. Some Piano Compositions by Nicolas Economou, Notated Post Mortem from the Composer’s Recordings. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2015, 3(5-1), 25-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.s.2015030501.13

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    AMA Style

    Galina Dimova Georgieva. Some Piano Compositions by Nicolas Economou, Notated Post Mortem from the Composer’s Recordings. Int J Lit Arts. 2015;3(5-1):25-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.s.2015030501.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijla.s.2015030501.13,
      author = {Galina Dimova Georgieva},
      title = {Some Piano Compositions by Nicolas Economou, Notated Post Mortem from the Composer’s Recordings},
      journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
      volume = {3},
      number = {5-1},
      pages = {25-30},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.s.2015030501.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.s.2015030501.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.s.2015030501.13},
      abstract = {The paper examines the nocturnes of the Cypriot composer and pianist Nicolas Economou (1953-1993) and how much they reflected the traditions of the genre of the piano nocturnes from the 19th Century, enriched with contemporary compositional techniques from the 20th Century. The different approach towards the structure as well as the influence of the jazz instrumental culture, mark a radical departure from the old forms. This is a consequence not only of the artistic temperament of Economou but also of the fact that he never notated but only recorded the nocturnes. The piano was his true medium of expression; therefore the compositions retain a strong element of improvisation and nonconformity. The cycle of eight nocturnes testify to the great improvisatory gift and spontaneity of Nicolas Economou as one the most significant Cypriot composers of the 20th Century.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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Author Information
  • Ph.D. candidate in The Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

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