Poem For Carlita (for unaccompanied violin) MO149

Violin Solo

Music by Mark O?Connor

5 pages - 7:30 minutes in length



Poem For Carlita In contemporary vocal music, there is a form called a story song. It is an odd form in that it does not contain any departure from the central idea; therefore there is no ?return.? The story has a beginning and ending but uses subtle variation to push the idea along its way. .. much the way loving relationships evolve. The equivalent of the story song in classical music is a Poem, and this is what I have called this piece. An inspiration I used for my musical poem was the ocean and it?s repetition of waves as they fall in to the shoreline. I grew up near the ocean and remember how the sounds of the relentless waves used to calm me. While it was the repetitive sound of the sea that moved me as a child, today, I observed that each wave was not the same but in fact slightly different. I was amazed that it seemed that no two waves looked or sounded the same to me. This natural occurrence seemed to mirror my love for wife Carla. Each day was just something a tiny bit different. It was very natural to make these kinds of life experience connections. Bridges that joined nature, love and art. The poem begins slowly and inquisitively and builds through in intensity with loud and mightily passionate moments of emotion before the music comes down peacefully and reflectively, until the last statement played by the violin signifies that the sea is calm once again.

ISBN 9781619119970.

This unique collection celebrates the contemporary fiddle music of northeast Ireland, much of it for the first time in print. Not surprisingly, given its location and long history of traditional music, the fiddle music of this region shares some characteristics with Scottish music, yet it has its own distinct style. For those who are not familiar with this ruggedly attractive part of Ireland, this book will introduce you to some of its music and musicians. The tunes presented here, collected by County Antrim fiddler, Rowan Leslie, have all been written relatively recently by local musicians. Each tune is offered in two versionsone with the barebones melody and suggested accompaniment chords, and a second with ornamentation, articulation and bowing details. All tune types from northeast Ireland are represented, including jigs and reels, polkas and hornpipes, marches, barn dances and waltzes, plus set dances and slow airs. Moreover, the biographical sketches and backstories provided for each composer and tune demonstrate how the land itself, along with personal experiences and relationships, influence the fiddle music of northeast Ireland.