Louis Gruenberg frequently borrowed musical characteristics from American jazz, spirituals, and folk songs. Often, he combined the melodic and rhythmic traits of his sources with procedures associated with art-music. For instance, Gruenberg combines imitative technique with ragtime rhythms in the "Fox-Trot" of his suite entitled Jazzberries. Likewise, he integrated Negro spirituals into his violin concerto. The composer's non-literal use of borrowed idioms differentiated him from his contemporaries, namely Aaron Copland and Roy Harris. Gruenberg's finest attribute is his keenly developed variation technique, displayed in the treatments of borrowed motives in Jazz-Suite, Violin Concerto, and other works.

Works: Gruenberg: Four Indiscretions, Op. 20 (26), The Daniel Jazz, Op. 21 (26, 31-34), Animals and Insects, Op. 22 (26), The Creation, Op. 21 (26-27), Jazzberries, Op. 25 (26, 34-36), Jazzettes, Op. 26 (26), Jazz-Suite, Op. 28 (26, 36-38), Emperor Jones, Op. 36 (26, 28), Americana Suite, Op. 48 (26, 28), Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 18 (28), Six Jazz Epigrams, Op. 30b (28-30), Polychromatics, Op. 16 (30), Concerto for Violin, Op. 47 (38-40).

Sources: Negro Spirituals: I'm A-Rollin (27), Steal Away to Jesus (27), Oh! Holy Lord (38), Reign Massa Jesus (38); Traditional: Arkansas Traveler (38), She'll Be Coming 'round the Mountain (38).

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: Eytan Uslan