Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 03/08/2005, uploaded on 01/22/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Graceful Ghost Rag             William Bolcom

An innovative modern composer who frequently seeks to infuse the typical sounds and structure of classical music with jazz rhythms and key changes, William Bolcom is a master of ragtime compositions. He originally wrote his Graceful Ghost Rag in 1970 for solo piano in memory of his father and then arranged it for violin and piano in 1979. The Graceful Ghost Rag has a standard ragtime structure that features both the violin and the piano on various sectional solos, in the typical jazz style. The complex harmonies that Bolcom uses serve to accentuate the strong rhythms and syncopations of the work, which makes it unique among modern compositions for classical musicians today.    Christina Castelli

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.