SKU: BT.MV00000136
SKU: HL.49019302
ISBN 9790001153737. UPC: 888680663490.
'Six Pieces' Op. 19 is the first collection of piano pieces by Tchaikovsky which contributed significantly to his growing renown as most important Russian composer apart from Anton Rubinstein. Famous contemporary pianists like Nikolai Rubinstein and Hans von Bulow performed Reverie du soir (Op. 19, No. 1) or Theme original et variations (No. 6) in their concerts in the 1870s. Commissioned by his Moscow publisher P. I. Jurgenson, Six Pieces Op. 19 was composed by Tchaikovsky in the summer and autumn of 1873, i.e. during his time as professor of theory at the Moscow Conservatoire.Bulow had entered 'little changes' in his own copy of the first edition of Variations Op. 19/6. There is, however, no documentary proof which of Bulow's changes Tchaikovsky eventually included in the Nouvelle edition revue et corrigee par l'auteur of Op. 19 published only in 1890. The present new edition therefore contains both versions of the Variations. Tchaikovsky's version of the first edition can be found in the appendix of the present volume, Bulow's version expressly adopted by Tchaikovsky is presented together with Nos. 1-5 in the main text of the volume on the basis of the Nouvelle edition revue et corrigee par l'auteur from 1890.
SKU: DZ.DZ-4244
ISBN 9782898521614.
La Sonate n° 6 Kharkiv pour guitare solo a été composée en 2021, à la fin du confinement lié au COVID-19. Ã? ce moment-là , ma famille et moi étions restés dans notre ville natale de Kharkiv (également connue sous le nom de Kharkov), en Ukraine, pendant près de deux ans. Nous considérions cette période de pandémie comme un désastre, mais nous avons réalisé plus tard que c'était en fait un moment plutôt heureux, car la guerre est arrivée dans notre pays quelques mois plus tard. Depuis 2022, une fraction considérable des 1,5 million de citoyens de Kharkiv ont quitté leur foyer, ceux qui sont restés vivent sous des attaques incessantes de missiles, et beaucoup ont été tués. Je voudrais dédier cette Sonate à la ville frontalière de Kharkiv et, surtout, à ses citoyens souffrant de la guerre.Pourtant, la musique de la Sonate n'a aucun programme spécifique. Ici, je donnerai un bref aperçu de ses principaux éléments de composition pour faciliter les interprétations futures.Les premier et quatrième mouvements de cette Sonate sont basés sur l'interaction entre le principe dodécaphonique et le centre tonal de sol majeur, naturel pour la guitare. En particulier, le premier mouvement est basé sur l'interaction de la triade de sol majeur Solâ??Siâ??Ré des cordes de guitare à vide 2â??3â??4, le motif ascendant 1 impliquant les notes Miâ??Fa#â??Laâ??Do# (à l'origine sur la première corde), et le motif descendant 2 utilisant les notes Miâ??Doâ??Sibâ??La (à l'origine sur la corde de basse 6). Ces éléments se complètent presque pour former douze tons (à l'exception du Fa manquant), et les motifs alternent avec des fragments ostinato où chaque note de la triade de sol majeur est déplacée pas à pas d'un demi-ton vers le haut ou vers le bas.Le deuxième mouvement est un Scherzo impliquant de nombreux demi-tons dans des accords accentués et des passages rapides, ainsi qu'un mouvement mélodique chromatique dans la voix de basse. Il est presque atonal dans certains fragments, mais a un centre tonal global de la mineur.Le troisième mouvement est un Adagio méditatif basé sur un thème composé dans l'échelle hexatonique Réâ??Miâ??Faâ??Sol# â??Laâ??Si et des accords ostinato impliquant les cordes de basse à vide Miâ??Laâ??Ré et le demi-ton Siâ??Do.Enfin, le quatrième mouvement est basé sur le thème dodécaphonique complet composé de deux phrases comprenant les motifs 1 et 2 du premier mouvement : Solâ??Faâ??Sibâ??Labâ ??Doâ??Mibâ??Ré et Miâ??Siâ??Do#â??Laâ?? Fa#. Ce thème est présenté dans ses formes prime et rétrograde. Il y a des dialogues entre la première corde, les basses et les cordes médianes à vide, similaires au premier mouvement. Ã? son apogée, le thème dodécaphonique est interprété en utilisant le mouvement parallèle de l'accord de sol majeur standard de la guitare avec les cordes médianes à vide sur douze positions.La Sonate a été créée en première et enregistrée (CD Naxos No. 8.574630) par le célèbre guitariste ukrainien Marko Topchii, qui a également vécu et étudié à Kharkiv. Je lui suis extrêmement reconnaissant pour l'interprétation brillante de cette pièce.Je suis très redevable envers Productions d'Oz d'avoir conservé mes notations originales là où celles-ci ne correspondent pas au style de l'éditeur.Sona ta No. 6 Kharkiv for guitar solo was composed in 2021, in the end of the COVID-19 lockdown. At that time my family and I were staying in our home city of Kharkiv (also known as Kharkov), Ukraine for almost two years. We considered that pandemic period as a disaster, but later have realized that it actually was a rather happy time, because a war came to our homeland just a few months later. Since 2022 a considerable fraction of the 1.5 millions of Kharkiv citizens have left their homes, those who stayed have been living under ceaseless missile attacks, and many have been killed. I would like to dedicate this Sonata to the frontier city of Kharkiv and, most of all, to its citizens suffering from the war.Yet, the music of the Sonata does not have any specific program. Here I will give a brief overview of its main composition elements to facilitate future interpretations.The first and fourth movements of this Sonata are based on the interplay between the twelve-tone principle and the G-major tonal center, natural for the guitar. Namely, the first movement is based on the interaction of the G-major triad Gâ??Bâ??D of the open guitar strings 2â??3â??4, ascending motif 1 involving the notes Eâ??F#â??Aâ??C# (originally on the first string), and descending motif 2 using the notes E-â??Câ??Bbâ??A- (originally, on the bass string 6). These elements supplement each other to almost make up twelve tones (apart from the missing F), and the motifs alternate with ostinato fragments where each note in the G major triad is step-by-step moved by a semitone up or down.The second movement is a Scherzo involving numerous semitones in accented chords and fast passages, as well as chromatic melodic motion in the bass voice. It is almost atonal in some fragments, but has an overall tonal center of A-minor.The third movement is a meditative Adagio based on a theme composed within hexatonic scale Dâ??Eâ??Fâ??G#â??Aâ? ?B and ostinato chords involving open bass strings Eâ??Aâ??D and semitone Bâ??C.Finally, the fourth movement is based on the complete twelve-tone theme consisting of two phrases including motifs 1 and 2 from the first movement: Gâ??Fâ??Bbâ??Abâ??Câ ??Ebâ??D and Eâ??Bâ??C#â??Aâ??F#. This theme is presented in its prime and retrograde forms. There are dialogues between the first string, basses and open middle strings, similar to the first movement. In the culmination, the twelve-tone theme is performed using the parallel motion of the standard guitar G-major chord with open middle strings across twelve positions.The Sonata was premiered and recorded (CD Naxos No. 8.574630) by the prominent Ukrainian guitarist Marko Topchii who has also lived and studied in Kharkiv. I am extremely grateful to him for the brilliant performance of this piece.I am greatly indebted to Productions dâ??Oz for keeping my original notations in places where these do not conform to the publisherâ??s style.
SKU: HL.50601598
8.0x11.75 inches.
The catalogue of Edison Denisov's works includes 16 concertos. It was a genre to which he returned time and again throughout his life, from the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra of 1972 to the Double Concerto for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra of 1996.In Denisov's music the role of the soloist, or rather the protagonist, is extraordinarily important, not so much for its virtuosity as for its confessional character. The solo part is a monologue distinguished by poetic diction and a very personal message from thecomposer. The dramaturgical conception of the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, a reworking of the Viola Concerto of 1986, draws on traditional sonata form, thereby reaffirming the ubiquitous classicism in Denisov's thought. In this late work, we find all the typical features of his style: sinuous melodic lines layered into dense contrapuntal textures, and an interplay of orchestral colours, with pure sonorities contrasting with complex mixtures of sounds. It is a perfect dramaturgy that governs the evolution of the music to the very end. The first movement assumes the role of a sonata-allegro, with the standard formal sections of exposition, development,recapitulatio n and coda. The second movement is an Adagio for strings. The third takes the form of a little contrasting intermezzo that introduces both new thematic material and a new range of colours. Here tunefulness gives way to pointillism enriched with soniceffects. The only movement with a virtuosic solo part, its nervousness and inner tension set it worlds apart from the second and fourth movements that surround it. The fourth movement assumes the traditional form of a final set of variations. It is the dramaturgical and semantic heart of the concerto. The theme of the variations is Franz Schubert's Impromptu in B-flat major, op. 142, which in this case is 'born' from the celesta as the product of a dodecaphonic string cluster. This finale represents Denisov's homage to his great mentor, Schubert's music being for him a symbol of eternal and universal beauty. 'The attentive listener', Denisov stressed, 'will recognise that the Impromptu theme is already suggested very slowly in the course of the three preceding movements, not only thematically, but also psychologically. That's what makes the appearance of the Schubert theme sound so natural.' The variations relate to the variation genre less in their form than in their spiritual and conceptual metamorphoses. It is, one might say, 'music round about Schubert'. (Ekaterina Kouprovskaia-Denisova).
SKU: BT.EMBZ14504
English-German-Hungari an.
Volume 9 in the series of Supplements is mainly devoted to hitherto unpublished or inaccessible works. Apart from the piano score of the Berlioz symphony it contains smaller-scale late masterpieces (Excelsior!, Resignazione), the Album leaves written in Woronince in 1847, the large-scale but unfinished and not fully worked out Figaro and Don Juan fantasia, incorporating several Mozart themes, the piano piece No.1 in A flat major, two unpublished works incorrectly identified up till now by the special literature, the Maometto fantasia and the Siege de Corinthe (both transcriptions of Rossini works), and the volume also includes three other unpublished works (the Piano piece in Fmajor, the Cavatina from Robert le Diable by Meyerbeer, and Freudvoll und leidvoll, written down for Pauline von Iwanowska. The Prefaces preceding the scores, which give very accurate, detailed information about the genesis of the works, make interesting reading in themselves, but their true significance consists in the new scholarly discoveries made by the editors. Similarly to the other NLE volumes, both the cloth-bound (Z. 14504a) version and the one bound in hard-paper (Z. 14504) contain in three languages the series preface, the preface to this volume, and the captions below the facsimiles, but the critical notes in English are to be found only in the linen-bound edition. Der Band enthält neben der Klavierpartitur der Symphonie von Berlioz, kleinere, spätere Meisterwerke (Excelsior!, Resignazione), die 1874 in Woronince entstandenen Albumblätter, die umfangreichen, mehrere Mozart-Themen aufgreifenden, aber unbeendeten und unausgearbeiteten Figaro- und Don Giovanni-Phantasien, das schon seit langem unzugängliche Klavierstück No. 1 in As-Dur, zwei von der Fachliteratur verkannte, unveröffentlichte Werke, die Maometto-Phantasie und die ‚Siege de Corinthe' (beide sind Transkriptionen von Rossini-Werken) und drei, ebenfalls bisher nicht erschienene Stücke, das Klavierstück in F-Dur, die Cavatina aus Meyerbeers ‚Robert der Teufel' und dasfür Pauline von Iwanowska komponierte ‚Freudvoll und leidvoll'. Das Vorwort, welches die Entstehungsgeschichte der Werke sehr genau und auf jedes Detail eingehend vorstellt, ist auch selbst eine interessante Lektüre. Seine wahre Bedeutung machen aber die neuen wissenschaftlichen Entdeckungen aus.
SKU: BT.DHP-0940571-020
In the most literal sense: a piece for an occasion. The actual occasion was Jan de Haan’s twentieth anniversary as a conductor of the top Dutch brass band, “Soli Deo Gloria†(Leeuwarden). To mark the occasion, the band commissioned the Belgian comopser Jan Van der Roost to create a surprise piece: without knowledge of the person being celebrated, a suitable source of inspiration was sought for. After some thought the chorale-theme from Camille Saint-Saëns organ symphony was chosen, a piece with which Jan de Haan has a special bond.Apart from this chorale, Homage is also based on the names of notes taken from ‘Jan de Haan’ and ‘Soli Deo Gloria’, resulting in the tonerow: DEGAH. Both elements are combined together and form a grand climax towards the end of the piece when the whole band unites in the Saint Saëns’ theme. Homage wurde von Jan Van der Roost im Auftrage der Brass Band Soli Deo Gloria aus Leeuwarden geschrieben. Direkter Anlass dazu war das 20-jährige Jubiläum von Jan de Haan als Dirigent dieses Ensembles. Als Inspiration diente dem Komponistendas Choralthema der Orgelsymphonie von Camille Saint-Saëns, ein von Jan de Haan geschätztes Werk. Nebst diesem Choral basiert Homage ebenfalls auf den Notenbezeichnungen aus ‘Jan de Haan’ und ‘Soli Deo Gloria’, was die Notenreihe DEGAH ergab.Beide Elemente werden durcheinander verwendet, bis sich schließlich die ganze Band im Finale mit dem Saint-Saëns-Thema wieder zusammenfindet.
SKU: BT.DHP-1216342-140
English-German-French- Dutch.
Queen Cleopatra ruled Egypt for over 20 years. She is one of antiquity’s best-known women, in particular because of her relationships with Julius Caesar and, above all, Mark-Anthony, but also because the cause of her death remainsa mystery. The work is split into three parts and performed without breaks. The first section begins with a bright introduction representing Mark-Anthony. Dynamic in nature and reminiscent of military music, this characterises theRoman general. But soon after, another theme emerges, softer and more melodic, symbolising Cleopatra’s femininity. The two characters then combine on a faster tempo. The middle section of the work depicts the love thatMark-Anthony and Cleopatra feel for each other. This passionate relationship lasted ten years and produced three children. This is expressed by a warm and intense theme, just like the beauty of the Egyptian queen. The third andlast section opens in a determined and military mood. Mark-Anthony and Cleopatra were often apart, the Roman general was often away on a campaign. They met up in Alexandria to celebrate their triumph. But, as the targets of thejealousy and ambition of Octavius, Julius Caesar’s son, the lovers are trapped and await the inevitable conquest of Egypt by the Romans. When Mark-Anthony heard the false news that Cleopatra had committed suicide, he ended his ownlife. The Queen of Egypt, for her part, was imprisoned shortly afterwards. The two lovers remain one of History’s most famous couples. This piece was commissioned by the Wind Orchestra of the town of Antony, near Paris, directedby Philippe Rossignol, to mark its 90th anniversary.Konin gin Cleopatra heerste meer dan twintig jaar lang over Egypte. Ze is een van de bekendste vrouwen uit de oudheid, vanwege haar relatie met Julius Caesar en vooral die met Marcus Antonius, maar ook omdat de oorzaak van haardood altijd een mysterie is gebleven. Dit werk bestaat uit drie in elkaar overlopende delen. Het eerste deel begint met de levendige introductie van Marcus Antonius. Met het dynamische en enigszins militaire karakter van de muziekwordt de Romeinse generaal krachtig neergezet. Snel daarna doemt een zachter en melodieuzer thema op een weerspiegeling van Cleopatra’s vrouwelijkheid. De twee persoonlijkheden gaan vervolgens samen verder in een vlotter tempo.Het middelste deel beschrijft de liefde die Marcus Antonius en Cleopatra voor elkaar voelden. Hun hartstochtelijke relatie duurde tien jaar en bracht drie kinderen voort. Dit wordt uitgedrukt in een warm en intens thema waarintevens de schoonheid van de Egyptische koningin doorschemert. Het derde en laatste deel opent vastberaden en in militaire sfeer. Marcus Antonius en Cleopatra waren vaak bij elkaar vandaan: de generaal was geregeld weg om strijd tevoeren. In Alexandrië vierden ze samen hun triomf, maar de jaloezie en ambitie van Octavius, de zoon van Julius Caesar, gooide roet in het eten. De geliefden werden in de val gelokt en de onvermijdelijke verovering van Egypte doorde Romeinen volgde al snel. Toen Marcus Antonius het onjuiste bericht kreeg dat Cleopatra zelfmoord had gepleegd, maakte hij een eind aan zijn eigen leven: de koningin van Egypte werd op haar beurt kort daarna gevangengezet. Detwee geliefden behoren tot de beroemdste stellen uit de wereldgeschiedenis. Cleopatra werd in opdracht geschreven om het negentigjarig bestaan van het blaasorkest uit de gemeente Antony dicht bij Parijs te markeren. Dat orkestbracht het onder leiding van Philippe Rossignol in première.Kö nigin Kleopatra regierte über 20 Jahre lang Ägypten. Sie ist eine der bekanntesten Frauen der Antike, insbesondere aufgrund ihrer Beziehungen zu Julius Cäsar und vor allem zu Marcus Antonius aber auch aufgrund ihrerrätselhaften Todesursache. Das Werk besteht aus drei Abschnitten, die ohne Unterbrechung gespielt werden. Der erste Abschnitt beginnt mit einer strahlenden Einleitung, die Marcus Antonius darstellt. Die martialische und dynamischeMusik beschreibt den römischen Feldherrn. Doch bald darauf erklingt ein neues Thema, das sanfter und melodischer ist und Kleopatras Weiblichkeit symbolisiert. Die beiden Charaktere verschmelzen schließlich in einem schnellerenTempo. Der Mittelteil des Werkes beschreibt die Liebe, die Marcus Antonius und Kleopatra füreinander empfinden. Die leidenschaftliche Beziehung der beiden dauerte zehn Jahre lang und aus ihr gingen drei Kinder hervor. Dafür stehtein warmes und intensives Thema, das auch die Schönheit der ägyptischen Königin beschreibt. Der dritte und letzte Abschnitt beginnt mit einer entschlossenen und kriegerischen Stimmung. Marcus Antonius und Kleopatra waren oftmalsgetrennt, wenn sich der römische Feldherr auf Feldzügen befand. In Alexandria trafen sie sich, um ihren Sieg zu feiern. Doch sie waren Opfer der Eifersucht und der ehrgeizigen Ambitionen von Octavius, Julius Cäsars Sohn, wurden ineine Falle gelockt und mussten auf die bevorstehende Eroberung Ägyptens durch die Römer warten. Als Marcus Antonius die Nachricht vom vermeintlichen Selbstmord Kleopatras erhielt, nahm er sich selbst das Leben. Die Königin vonÄgypten wurde ihrerseits kurz darauf inhaftiert. Die beiden zählen zu den berühmtesten Liebespaaren der Geschichte. Dieses Stück wurde vom Orchestre d’Harmonie de la Ville d’Antony aus der Nähe von Paris, das von PhilippeRossignol geleitet wird, anlässlich seines 90-jährigen Jubiläums in Auftrag gegeben.La Reine Cléop tre règne sur l’Égypte pendant plus de 20 ans. Elle est l’une des femmes les plus connues de l’Antiquité, notamment gr ce ses relations avec Jules César et surtout avec Marc-Antoine (Antony), mais aussi par lemystère qu’entoure sa disparition. L’œuvre est écrite en trois parties enchaînées. La première commence par une brillante introduction qui représente Marc-Antoine. A la fois martiale et dynamique, cette musique caractérise legénéral romain. Mais très vite, un nouveau thème apparaît, plus mélodique et plus doux, il symbolise la féminité que représente Cléop tre. Les deux caractères vont ensuite s’assembler dans un tempo plus rapide. La partie centralede l’œuvre dépeint l’amour que Marc-Antoine et Cléop tre ressentent l’un pour l’autre. Cette relation passionnée durera 10 ans et donnera naissance 3 enfants. Il en résulte un thème chaleureux et intense, l’image de la beautéde la reine d’Égypte. Enfin, c’est sur un caractère décidé et guerrier que la troisième partie débute. Marc-Antoine et Cléop tre sont souvent séparés, le général romain est souvent en campagne. Ils se retrouvent Alexandrie pourfêter leur triomphe. Mais, victimes de la jalousie et de l’ambition terrifiante d’Octave, fils de Jules César, les amants sont piégés et attendent inexorablement que l’Égypte soit conquise par les Romains. A la fausse annonce dusuicide de Cléop tre, Marc-Antoine met fin ses jours. La Reine d’Egypte sera quant elle emprisonnée peu de temps après. Les deux amants resteront l’un des couples les plus célèbres de l’Histoire. L’œuvre a été commandée parl’Orchestre d’Harmonie de la ville d’Antony l’occasion de ses 90 ans : l’orchestre est placé sous la direction de Philippe Rossignol.
SKU: BT.DHP-1216342-010
SKU: BT.DHP-0940571-010
SKU: BR.CHB-5323-00
Choral music for all occasions in the original notational image, sorted by genres and themes
ISBN 9790004412534. 7.5 x 10.5 inches.
The Choir Library for Women's and Children's Choir invites browsing and discovering: Apart from Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert, also lesser known composers like Arnold Mendelssohn, Hanns Eisler and Siegfried Strohbach are represented. The division into sacred and secular compositions as well as the sorting by genres and themes enable a fast locating and retrieving of the pieces. This also makes the usage of the volume by the whole choir a viable option in order to have a basic repertoire at hand. Last but not least, the small oeuvre for women's and children's choir can be purposefully complemented.We wish you lots of joy at discovering and singing!Sacred MusicI. Christmas Carols and MotetsII. Songs of PraiseIII. Psalm SettingsIV. Sacred Choral WorksV. Masses, Mass Sections and HymnsSecular MusicI. Love Songs and BalladsII. Nature and Evening SongsIII. Children's SongsIV. Parting Songs and Solemn PiecesV. Dance and Folk SongsChoral music for all occasions in the original notational image, sorted by genres and themes. Let yourself be inspired by more of our Choir Libraries as well.
SKU: HL.14020965
ISBN 9780711936959.
The story centres on the English princess Caroline Mathilde (1751-1775), sister of George III, who at the age of 15 was sent to Denmark to marry the 17-year-old eccentric and schizophrenic Danish King, Christian VII. The ballet portrays her unhappy marriage, the King's growing madness and her fatal love-affair with Struensee, the King's influential physician, which leads to their arrest, his execution and her exile, at the age of 20, separated from her two young children. This suite begins with the act's opening number: a boisterous, stamping dance to which the people rudely mock Queen Caroline Mathilde and her lover Struensee. After this comes a dark Adagio, The Conspiracy, in which the theme passes like persuasion from mouth to mouth, its variations suggesting the different attitudes of the conspirators, firmly controlled by the brass-driven gestures of the Queen Dowager. The conspiracy then works itself out at a court masked ball, from which the suite includes two dances: a gavotte, and a slow, lubricious passacaglia that is a pas de deux for Caroline Mathilde and Struensee. The Arrest comes with a gathering rush of music that envelops the King, the Queen and Struensee, leading to a vociferous climax in which they are held apart. In The Execution, slow white music for wordless female voices, harp and low strings is interrupted by pathetic, alienated outbursts from the King. The suite ends, as does the ballet, with a quiet adagio lament for clarinets and alto flute as the Queen goes into exile. Score. Duration c. 33mins.
SKU: PR.144407530
ISBN 9781491136614. UPC: 680160687992.
A violinist herself, Lauren Bernofsky has described SONATA FOR SOLO VIOLIN as drawn from autobiographical inspiration, including gestures from Bachâ??s beloved Partita in E Major. Bernofsky opens with a Preludio movement whose references to Bach may be disguised, but they are surely lurking. The second movement is lusciously contrapuntal with the idiomatic finesse of a violinist composing for her own instrument, while musically journaling the emotional pain of living through 2020. The third and final movement is aptly marked â??white-hot,â? and the music certainly is.My SONATA FOR SOLO VIOLIN was commissioned by violinist Megan Healy as part of The Maud Powell Project, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The project included the creation of five new works for solo violin inspired by and dedicated to the memory of pioneering American violinist Maud Powell (1867-1920). Healy premiered the sonata on May 8, 2021 at PianoForte Studios in Chicago.Among the works Powell most frequently performed in her recitals was the â??Preludioâ? movement from Bachâ??s E major Partita, and I decided to refer to that music in my own first movement, also titled â??Preludio.â? The beginning subtly reflects Bachâ??s opening three-note motive, wherein the music dips down a semitone and then comes back up. This melodic material returns throughout the movement in various forms. I also refer to Bachâ??s sixteenth-note dominated texture, and the gesture in the third measure, which outlines a perfect fifth and then fills it in with notes that alternate between a scale and a pedal tone. The corresponding passage in my piece occurs in the same place, measure 3. Apart from these references to Bach, my sonata is much more modern sounding, especially in its chromatic character.I was still thinking of Bachâ??s solo violin writing while composing the second movement, particularly the polyphonic nature of the slow movements, where the melodic interest moves around between the voices. Emotionally, I wanted my movement to reflect the acute sadness I had been experiencing over the political and social situation in the United States as I wrote the piece. I realized that this is a historically noteworthy time in U.S. history, marked not only by political unrest, but also by a challenge to the very values that I consider essential to what makes a person fundamentally human. I wanted to create a record of that pain in my music.The final movement is marked â??White-hot.â? It is imbued with a relentless, passionate intensity. Wanting again to reflect aspects of our own time, I included glissandi that refer to rock music, specifically the â??fall-offsâ? I frequently hear played by electric guitarists. I borrowed from another (completely different) musical tradition as well, one that is near-and-dear to my heart: Klezmer. Klezmer (Eastern European Jewish folk music) is characterized in part by scales colored by augmented seconds, and is often performed by solo instrumentalists who improvise embellishments like quick grace notes. The second, more lyrical theme in this movement is my nod to Klezmer style.While this piece is an homage to Maud Powell, I also think of it as my own musical autobiography, as it combines some of my favorite aspects of music, and is played on my own instrument.
