Sowash:2nd movement of [We Begin Again],  Hymn for clarinet, cello and piano.

A hymn must be short.   Easy to learn and easy to sing.  The tune daresn’t reach too high, nor fall too low.  Rhythms and harmonies must be simple.  The words must suit the tune and the meaning of the words must suit the theology of the folks who will be asked to sing it.

The tune must be simple, yes, but it must also be sufficiently catchy to withstand unvaried repetition as several verses are sung.  No one likes to sing a dreary tune three times, four times, five times … “Lemme outa here!"

I’ve written about fifteen hymns and most of them still need work.  One of the least flawed is “We Begin Again” (and here we are, beginning again at the start of a New Year, which is why I thought I’d share this today) with stirring words by my poet friend W.B. “Bucky” Ignatius.

I’m including below a link to a PDF of the hymn if you’d like to see Bucky’s words but the music I want to share today is the theme-and-variations on the hymn that comprise the second movement of my Trio #5 for clarinet, cello and piano.

The first thing you’ll hear is the piano playing the “skeleton” of the tune.  Just the bare bones, but with a twist at the end:  a descending, four-note “Blues-y” figure closes the tune each time.  I had fun figuring out ways to alter that Blues-y touch at the end of each variation.  It makes a fun thing to listen for.

Each variation fleshes out the skeletal structure of the tune in different ways until the last variations when the piano finally delivers the hymn “in all its glory" while the clarinet soars above and the cello elaborates the bass.

To hear the second movement played by clarinetist Laurel Bennet, cellist Teresa Villani and pianist Carol Alexander, (the musicians who recorded it on my CD “Winds of May”) click here:
http://www.sowash.com/recordings/mp3/trio_5_2nd_movt.mp3

To see a PDF of the score for the clarinet / cello / piano version, click here:
http://www.sowash.com/recordings/mp3/trio_5_2nd_movt.pdf

To see a PDF of the hymn version, click here:
http://www.sowash.com/recordings/mp3/we_begin_again.pdf

I'd love to know what you think about this music; reply if you're inclined.  But please don't feel that you are expected to reply.  I'm just glad to share my work in this way.

As always, feel free to forward this message to friends who might enjoy it.

Anyone can be on my little list of recipients for these mpFrees (as I call these musical emails).  To sign up, people should email me at rick@sowash.com, sending just one word:  "Yes."   I'll know what it means.   To unsubscribe, reply “unsubscribe.”