Polish Folk Songs

Description

Clarinet in Bb, Bass Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Percussion, Piano — Polish Folk Songs was inspired by music I heard on a trip I took on 2003 to Zakopane, a town that is located at the foot of the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland. I was completely taken by the music of the region, which can be characterized as clear, annunciatory, mournful, unpredictable in tempo and meter, and timbrally vibrant. In my composition I have taken a number of the songs commonly heard in the area, and re-combined them, allowing them to bump heads as well as to interact peacefully. The piece is in three movements, and is scored for clarinet, bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano (doubling electronic keyboard), and percussion (doubling melodica). Its duration is approximately twelve minutes. Polish Folk Songs was commissioned by Catherine and Paul Buttenweiser for Boston Musica Viva, who gave it its first performance in May 2007. From the composer: “Polish Folk Songs was inspired by music I heard on a trip I took to Zakopane, a town that is located a the foot of the Tatra Mountains in Southern Poland. I was completely taken by the music of the region, which can be characterized as clear, mournful, unpredictable in tempo and meter, and of vibrant timbre. In my composition I have taken a number of the songs commonly heard in the area and re-combined them, allowing them to bump heads as well as interact peacefully.” In three movements, Polish Folk Songs was commissioned by Catherine and Paul Buttenweiser for Boston Musica Viva, who premiered it in May of 2007. For advanced players. Instrumental parts are available on custom print.