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Collection Martha Graham at the Library of Congress

I

From "Imagined Wing" to "Intermezzo" (8 works)

Imagined Wing
1944

Performed to music by Darius Milhaud and commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge for the Library of Congress, Imagined Wing premiered on October 30, 1944, at the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Costumes were designed by Edythe Gilfond and the set was created by Isamu Noguchi. Graham did not appear in the work, which was danced by the Martha Graham Dance Company. Writing for the New York Times (November 1, 1944), critic John Martin commented that he thought this work was the weakest of the three works on the program (the others were Herodiade and Appalachian Spring). "[I]t is set to a score by Darius Milhaud, called 'Jeux de Printemps.' Very nice music in itself, it is nevertheless pretty far removed from Miss Graham's style and might more fittingly serve as a suite for the ballet. It is danced by a group of seven…and has bits of amusing stage directions…. As a dance composition, however, it lacks body and point."

Immediate Tragedy
1937

Performed to music by Henry Cowell, Immediate Tragedy (occasionally subtitled "Dance of Dedication") premiered on July 30, 1937, at the Bennington School of the Dance, Burlington, Vermont. The solo work was performed by Martha Graham. Critic John Martin of the New York Times (August 15, 1937) noted, "Not since the eloquent and beautiful 'Frontier,' first presented three seasons ago, has she given us anything half so fine as 'Immediate Tragedy.'"

Immigrant
1928

Performed to music by Josip Slavenski, Immigrant was choreographed in two sections, "Steerage" and "Strike." The work premiered on April 22, 1928, at New York's Little Theatre. The solo work was performed by Martha Graham. The New York Evening World (April 23, 1928) said of Graham's performance, "She was at her best in an immigrant number, 'Steerage' and 'Strike.'"

Imperial Gesture
1935

Performed to music by Lehman Engel, Imperial Gesture premiered on November 10, 1935, at New York's Guild Theatre. The solo work was performed by Martha Graham. The New York Times (November 11, 1935) remarked that the work "is not altogether successful in spite of some excellent passages and copious cheering from the house. It is something of a study in arrogance whose ending in collapse and defeat lacks conviction except from the standpoint of left-wing wishful thinking."

Incantation
1931

Performed to music by Hector Villa-Lobos, Incantation premiered on December 6, 1931, at New York's Martin Beck Theatre. The work was danced by Martha Graham and Group. Russell Rhodes in the New York Telegraph (November 22, 1932) noted that the dance "was not so wholly physical but might belong to a world long dead or a world unborn, seeming now changeless, tireless and eternal. But sometimes hinting of meaningless futilities, too."

Insincerities
1929

Performed to music by Serge Prokofiev, Insincerities (also known as Four Insincerities), was danced in four sections: "Petulance" "Remorse," "Politeness," and "Vivacity." The work premiered on January 20, 1929, at New York's Booth Theatre. The solo work was danced by Martha Graham. In a review of a later performance of the work, the New York Herald Tribune (March 4, 1929) noted that many of Graham's "familiar numbers…have lost nothing of their interest and pertinence," and added that Insincerities had "grown wittier with repetition."

Intégrales
1934

Performed to music by Edgar Varèse, Intégrales premiered on April 22, 1934, at New York's Alvin Theatre. The work was danced by Martha Graham and Group.

NOTE: There is no information in the collections pertaining to this work.

Intermezzo
1926

Performed to music by Johannes Brahms, Intermezzo premiered on April 18, 1926, at New York's 48th Street Theater. The work also appears as Intermezzo, Opus 119, No. 3. The solo work was performed by Martha Graham and was part of the program for her first independent concert. The critic from Musical America (April 24, 1926) noted that Graham's interpretations "were in many instances striking in plastic qualities and were always intriguing on the sartorial side."