Rhythmicana

Avant-garde piano composition

Rhythmicana
by Henry Cowell
Cowell at the piano, c. 1920s
Catalogue	HC 557
Composed	1938
Performed	February 11, 1940
Movements	3
Scoring	Piano

Henry Cowell's 1938 work Rhythmicana is a suite of piano pieces centered on polyrhythms and dissonant counterpoint. It is known for its unusual time signatures, with the first two movements being in ¹
₁ time, and the third movement having the polymeter of ³
₄ in the right hand and ⁵
₄ in the left.

Background

Cowell had already used the title for his rhythmicon concerto seven years earlier.^[1] The complexity results from Cowell's lifelong preoccupation with rhythmic exploration. The piece is dedicated to J. M. Beyer.^[2]^[3]

The last three measures of the first movement, showing the conflicting polyrhythms and tone clusters

References

^ Madeleine Goss, Modern music-makers; contemporary American composers. Dutton, 1952, p.272.
^ Barelos, Stacey. "Henry Cowell--Piano Music--Rhythmicana [1938]". www.cowellpiano.com.
^ Barelos, Stacey. "Henry Cowell--Piano Music--Rhythmicana [Endnote 1]". www.cowellpiano.com.