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Sowash: Third movement of Suite for Three Violins
2016/05/22 01:05:12瀏覽150|回應0|推薦6
Sowash: Third movement of Suite for Three Violins



A lot of my music is “programmatic,” i.e., more or less about something non-musical.  A season, a place, a personality, an idea, an homage to or parody of another composer or musical genre.

Music that is not “programmatic” is called “absolute music,” i.e., not intended to be about anything.  It’s just music; make of it what you will.

Yet, for many people, music -- all music, any music — brings vivid images to mind.  At the reception after a performance of one of my pieces — I forget which piece exactly but it was not a “programmatic” piece -- a lady told me that she had “especially liked the part where the squirrels were playing in the leaves.”  I had no idea what she was talking about but I nodded and said, “Thank you."

That was a comical moment for me but I am sure the lady was serious; she was certain her image was accurate and precise and that I would know to which part of the piece she was referring.

Who is to say, after all?  Once a piece is written, the composer is just another listener; his opinions are not definitive.  For all I know, maybe metaphorical squirrels were at play in that section.

When I hear the third movement from my Suite for Three Violins, an example of “absolute music,” I find myself imagining a long, narrow, brightly-colored, silk pennant rising and falling in a gentle breeze.

I suppose I could title it, “Long, Narrow, Brightly-colored, Silk Pennant Rising and Falling in a Gentle Breeze.”

Such a title would have almost as strong a claim as, “Squirrels Playing in the Leaves.”

Music sometimes prompts these mysterious mental responses.

I wonder what images piece might elicit from you.  Maybe none at all.  Maybe you’ll shrug and say, “It’s just nice music.”

That’s OK, too.

To hear the third movement from my Suite for Three Violins, played with snap and verve by three superb Cincinnati violinists -- Kris Frankenfeld, Frankie Howard and Elizabeth Steva — and recorded by the great Cincinnati sound engineer John Burgess, click here:
http://www.sowash.com/recordings/mp3/3_vlns_3rd_movt.mp3

To see a PDF of the score, click here:
http://www.sowash.com/recordings/mp3/3_vlns_3rd_movt.pdf

( 興趣嗜好其他 )
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