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At-A-Glance

Length: c. 8 minutes

About this Piece

One of the earliest pieces by Charles Ives, Variations on “America” (1892) was frequently performed in local churches by the teenaged composer, whose proud father edited the manuscript but unsuccessfully submitted it for publication. After the death of his father, Ives continuously tinkered with his piece of juvenilia, experimenting with stridently dissonant bitonal interludes that have since confounded musicologists and audiences alike. The final version was published in 1948 after being discovered and performed by organist E. Power Biggs (1906–1977). —Gregg Wager