Pinocchio
Portraits (2001) - Eleven descriptive pieces of characters and
places in the Pinocchio story cast in a tonal style. Duration
17:00 High School Level. $18.00 - Click here for a version
with narrator and demonstrations.
Program Notes
1. Geppetto the Puppet Maker – Geppetto is a proud man and lonely man, who believes in hard work and longs for a child of his own. Geppetto's longing is reflected in the music in measures 1-9 and 27 to the end. His strength of character is reflected in the middle section.
2. Pinocchio, the Scamp and Liar –Throughout the story, Pinocchio alternates between trying to be a good boy and getting into trouble through his naivete and lying. This movement depicts Pinocchio getting into trouble, as boys frequently do. At the same time, it hints at his true good nature. The second measure of Pinocchio's theme (measures 4 and 8 for example) alternates between major (Pinocchio as a good boy) and minor (Pinocchio as a scamp). The chromatic scales represent Pinocchio's nose growing when he lies.
3. Geppetto, the Doting Father – This movement represents Geppetto showering his love on Pinocchio. The music is tender and expressive and uses a transformation of Geppetto's longing theme (from the first movement) in piano two at measures 10 and 27. One also hears a fragment of Pinocchio's theme at measures 18 and 19, as Pinocchio is the object of Geppetto's love.
4. Harlequin - This conventional buffoon from the commedia dell'arte appears as a puppet in the Pinocchio story. The music, with its slightly unusual chord progressions and chromatic melody, depicts the buffoon. Pinocchio saves Harlequin's life by offering himself to the Fire-eater as firewood in place of Harlequin. This dramatic moment is suggested by the music in the middle section of the piece.
5. The Fox and the Cat (The Assassins) – The Fox and the Cat appear in many forms throughout the story. The music depicts them as telling stories (measures 1-16), persuasive (measures 17-31), and friendly (measures 32-47). The movement is in arch form, thus returning to the music of the first part in reverse order.
6. The Fairy Godmother – Pinocchio's Fairy Godmother appears in many forms throughout the story; as the lovely girl with bright blue hair, as a dove, and as a kindly little woman. All the time she is caring, supportive and forgiving. These lovely qualities and her magical elements are depicted in the music. Her transformations are represented through the modulations and variations of her basic theme.
7. Candlewick – Candlewick is a friend of Pinocchio who lures him to Toyland. Candlewick is lazy and uneducated and seems to plod through life, therefore he is represented by music that plods. The lure of Toyland appears in the middle section with a magical theme in 9/8 with rich harmony.
8. Toyland – This magical, yet sinister place, is represented by playful motives and syncopation. It begins with a repetitive eighth note motive built on an “e “diminished chord over a “C” major bass motive. Syncopated versions of the luring Toyland theme from the previous movement inserts itself between these motivic ideas and eventually develops into a rollicking theme of its own. The open motives return, but this time totally on “e” diminished, suggesting that Toyland isn't all that it promised to be. After a return to the rollicking theme, we hear a short section of both Candlewick's and Pinocchio's music that begins to fragment as their identities fade when they change into donkeys. The final statement is a “hee-haw” from both.
9. Pinocchio as a Donkey – An unhappy transformation of Pinocchio's motive becomes the thematic material for this movement. Piano one frequently inserts the “hee-haw”. At the Piu mosso, Pinocchio is in the circus jumping through paper hoops, which is exciting to the audience, but dangerous for Pinocchio. At the end of the second Piu mosso, Pinocchio hurts himself. We now hear the unhappy transformation of Pinocchio's motive again, this time with an extra beat, depicting his lameness. The movement ends with Pinocchio being thrown into the sea to drown so that his skin can be made into a drum.
10. The Shark – The shark as a predator is depicted by the minor key and ostinato accompaniment. At the Allegro agitato, we hear both Geppetto's and Pinocchio's motives as the shark has swallowed them.
11. Pinocchio as a Boy – This movement consists of a recapitulation of themes from Geppetto, The Doting Father and The Fairy Godmother, as Pinocchio would not have become a real boy without their love and guidance. The movement concludes with a restatement of Pinocchio's music, but this time without any hint of minor, as Pinocchio has learned is lessons well.
