Levee Dance, Op. 27/2 for violin and piano; Clarence Cameron White
Clarence Cameron White (1880-1960) was one of the foremost black violinists of the early twentieth century. He studied with notable black violinists Will Marion Cook and Joseph Douglass (grandson of Frederick) and studied composition in London with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. His compositional style is not unlike those of his contemporaries Florence Price and William Grant Still: influenced by European models, but freely incorporating elements of African-American musical tradition.
White's ''Levee Dance, Op.27/2'' (1927) is a popular concert piece for violin and piano, made famous as one of Jascha Heifetz's favorite encores. A lilting, rhythmic dance leads in to a quotation and brief variation on the spiritual ''Go Down Moses''. The dance returns for an energetic finish. This edition edited by Dunja Lavrova returns the piece to the violin repertory and restores stylistically appropriate fingerings and bowings, with an updated, easy-to-read layout. For early advanced players.
