(C Edition) For voice and C instrument. Format: fakebook. With vocal melody, lyr...(+)
(C Edition) For voice and
C instrument. Format:
fakebook. With vocal
melody, lyrics and chord
names. Series: Hal
Leonard Fake Books. 856
pages. 9x12 inches.
Published by Hal Leonard.
Chamber Music English Horn, Oboe SKU: CF.WF229 15 Pieces for Oboe and ...(+)
Chamber Music English
Horn, Oboe
SKU:
CF.WF229
15 Pieces
for Oboe and English
Horn. Composed by
Gustave Vogt. Edited by
Kristin Jean Leitterman.
Collection - Performance.
32+8 pages. Carl Fischer
Music #WF229. Published
by Carl Fischer Music
(CF.WF229).
For C instrument and voice. Format: fakebook (spiral bound). With chord names, v...(+)
For C instrument and
voice. Format: fakebook
(spiral bound). With
chord names, vocal melody
and lyrics. Jazz. Series:
Hal Leonard Fake Books.
448 pages. 9x12 inches.
Published by Hal Leonard.
Fakebook for Eb instrument and voice. With vocal melody, lyrics and leadsheet no...(+)
Fakebook for Eb
instrument and voice.
With vocal melody, lyrics
and leadsheet notation.
Series: Hal Leonard Fake
Books. 448 pages.
Published by Hal Leonard.
Chamber Music Piano SKU: PR.110418370 Composed by Charles Ives. Arranged ...(+)
Chamber Music Piano
SKU: PR.110418370
Composed by Charles Ives.
Arranged by Danny Holt.
Performance Score. 20
pages. Duration 8
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #110-41837.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.110418370).
ISBN
9781491135075. UPC:
680160686247.
Compo
sed as an organ solo by
the 17-year-old Ives for
his own performance
purposes, the beloved
Variations on America is
a treat for any occasion,
whether a holiday
concert, a serious
recital, or other special
event. Danny
Holt’s
transcription for Piano,
Four Hands adds a
dazzling new option to
play at home or on stage,
taking best advantage of
Ives’ tremendous
contrasts in color,
dynamics, and
texture. Composed when
Charles Ives was a
teenager, Variations on
“America†is
both a convenient
introduction to
Ives’ body of
work, and an early
example of his
iconoclastic musical
voice and creative
genius. Just a few years
after composing this
piece, Ives would leave
home to study music at
Yale. But until then he
had been taught by his
father, George (who had
been a bandmaster in the
Civil War). George
subjected the young Ives
to experiments such as
singing a song in one key
while being accompanied
in another, or arranging
for two marching bands to
converge on a town
center, with the
resulting cacophony that
ensued.The Variations
exemplifies an early
period of experimentation
in Ives’ work,
spurred on by the unusual
pedagogy of his father.
The piece is particularly
notable for its use of
bitonality in the two
interludes, subtly
foreshadowing more
well-known examples by
Stravinsky, Bartók,
and others by
approximately two
decades.The bitonal
interludes were so ahead
of their time, in fact,
they were omitted from
the first copy that was
submitted to a publisher
in 1892. (Alas, the piece
was rejected even despite
these
“shockingâ€
elements having been left
out, and it wasn’t
published until more than
five decades later.)
There is some ambiguity
about when exactly Ives
added the interludes into
his manuscript copy,
though ample evidence
suggests he had performed
the piece with the
interludes around the
time he notated the piece
in 1891-92. In any case,
in light of this piece
and his other polytonal
explorations from the
last decade of the 19th
century, it seems fair to
give Ives credit for
being a pioneer in this
area!This arrangement for
Piano, Four Hands,
closely follows
Ives’ original
version for organ,
setting aside William
Schuman’s popular
adaptation for symphony
orchestra and William
Rhoads’ band
transcription of the
Schuman orchestration.
Pianists will find that
the piece translates well
to the instrument.
Ideally, the choreography
and logistics of
elbow-to-elbow four-hands
playing approximates the
wild joy one gets from
watching an organist play
the piece (e.g., the
elaborate pedal part in
the final variation).In
preparing this
publication, attention
was paid to details in
the dual Critical
Editions (Presser
443-41003) of both
Ives’ manuscript
edition and the 1949
publication edited by
organist E. Power Biggs
(who is credited with
discovering what had been
a long-lost, forgotten
work.) But as with much
of Ives’ output,
attempting to create a
true
‘urtext’
score is a futile
endeavor, and especially
with a piece such as this
one – in which
Ives incorporated
improvisation in live
performance –
seems unnecessary anyhow.
True die-hards are of
course encouraged to
consult the critical
editions and even find
inspiration in the
orchestrated version.
Generally, performers are
advised to be wild, have
fun, and not to be too
rigid in their
interpretive
choices.Dynamics in this
arrangement mostly follow
the organ score closely.
Pianists will use good
judgment about pedaling
throughout, which should
be straightforward and
intuitive. Courtesy
accidentals have been
provided frequently
– without
parentheses –
balancing the need for
extra clarity in the
context of Ives’
murky musical language,
and a desire to avoid
unnecessary clutter.A few
notes that might inform
interpretive
decisions:mm. 15-16:
There are inconsistencies
here between Ives’
original manuscript and
the 1949 Biggs edition,
regarding the top voice
in m. 15, beat 3 (C# vs.
Cn) and m. 16 (D Major
vs. D Minor).mm. 76-84 &
143-146: In both
Interludes, Ives
emphatically notates
extreme dynamic contrast,
in order to highlight the
bitonality. Although it
may seem counterintuitive
(or even a misprint, as
has apparently been
misconstrued by some),
performers are urged to
follow the
composer’s
marking!m. 109: Two-note
slurs have been added
here for clarity and
consistency with other
similar passages, though
they do not appear in
either the original
manuscript or Biggs.m.
112: The last two eighth
notes of Primo appear as
16ths in the original
manuscript.mm. 183-186:
The original manuscript
has a slightly different
bass line.mm. 184 & 186:
Primo gestures have been
re-written to be slightly
more idiomatic for Piano,
Four Hands.m. 186: The
breath mark at the end of
this bar does not appear
in either the manuscript
or Biggs, but is an
editorial suggestion
– aside from being
appropriately dramatic,
it will indeed be
necessary in a
reverberant hall!I would
like to thank Steven
Vanhauwaert, the other
half of my piano duo,
4handsLA, for his input
on early drafts of this
arrangement.—
Danny Holt, April
2022.
Sanctuary Piano Trio: piano, violon, violoncelle Theodore Presser Co.
Chamber Music Violin, cello, Piano SKU: PR.114418250 Composed by Stacy Ga...(+)
Chamber Music Violin,
cello, Piano
SKU:
PR.114418250
Composed
by Stacy Garrop.
Contemporary. Set of
Score and Parts. With
Standard notation.
Composed 2013. 40+16+16
pages. Duration 23
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #114-41825.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.114418250).
UPC:
680160640959. 9 x 12
inches.
In 2011,
Barbara Garrop, my
mother, commissioned me
to write a piano trio in
memory of Norman Garrop,
my father, who passed
away about thirty years
ago. When I started
brainstorming about
topics for the piece, I
found it difficult to
recall many moments of my
early life involving my
father. Too many years
had passed, and the
memories that I could
summon were of achild
looking up to her father,
not an adult relating to
an equal. However, while
collecting stories of my
father from various
family members, along
with discovering a number
of objects that had once
belonged to him and that
I had stored away in
boxes decades ago, I
began to realize that
this piece wasn't so much
about my father as it was
about my re-discovering
the man that he was: a
loving husband and dad
who cared deeply about
his family and his
passions (which included
bike riding, collecting
coins, strumming our
guitar, playing baseball,
watching football games,
entertaining people,
helping to run local
theater and puppet
productions, and carving
objects out of wook); an
accountant who dreamed of
a better future: a
treasurer of our local
synagogue; an early
advocate for computers
(we owned an Apple II+);
and a pranster with a
great sense of humor.
Ultimately, I decided to
musically tell the story
of my search for these
memories. In the first
movement (Without), a
child calls out in a
sing-song voice,
searching for her lost
parent. This search
intesifies over the
course of the movement
through a series of
themes, including a
stepping motif in which a
two-note progression
steadily climbs higher, a
pseudo-jewish folksong,
and a passionate longing
theme. The child's search
becomes increasingly
intense throughout the
movement, calling out
fervently and repeatedly
to the parent; the
movement ends in a moment
of great tnesion and
uncertainty. The second
movment (Within) quietly
opens with the lost
parent finally answering,
represented by a solo
cello; the child (now
personified by the
violin) has found the
parent within the
sanctuary of her own
heart. This movement
highlights the joy and
solemnity of this
beautiful discovery.
-S.G.
Sanctuary Piano Trio: piano, violon, violoncelle [Conducteur] Theodore Presser Co.
Chamber Music Violin, cello, Piano SKU: PR.11441825S Composed by Stacy Ga...(+)
Chamber Music Violin,
cello, Piano
SKU:
PR.11441825S
Composed
by Stacy Garrop.
Contemporary. Score. With
Standard notation.
Composed 2013. 40 pages.
Duration 23 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#114-41825S. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.11441825S).
UPC:
680160643745. 9 x 12
inches.
In 2011,
Barbara Garrop, my
mother, commissioned me
to write a piano trio in
memory of Norman Garrop,
my father, who passed
away about thirty years
ago. When I started
brainstorming about
topics for the piece, I
found it difficult to
recall many moments of my
early life involving my
father. Too many years
had passed, and the
memories that I could
summon were of achild
looking up to her father,
not an adult relating to
an equal. However, while
collecting stories of my
father from various
family members, along
with discovering a number
of objects that had once
belonged to him and that
I had stored away in
boxes decades ago, I
began to realize that
this piece wasn't so much
about my father as it was
about my re-discovering
the man that he was: a
loving husband and dad
who cared deeply about
his family and his
passions (which included
bike riding, collecting
coins, strumming our
guitar, playing baseball,
watching football games,
entertaining people,
helping to run local
theater and puppet
productions, and carving
objects out of wook); an
accountant who dreamed of
a better future: a
treasurer of our local
synagogue; an early
advocate for computers
(we owned an Apple II+);
and a pranster with a
great sense of humor.
Ultimately, I decided to
musically tell the story
of my search for these
memories. In the first
movement (Without), a
child calls out in a
sing-song voice,
searching for her lost
parent. This search
intesifies over the
course of the movement
through a series of
themes, including a
stepping motif in which a
two-note progression
steadily climbs higher, a
pseudo-jewish folksong,
and a passionate longing
theme. The child's search
becomes increasingly
intense throughout the
movement, calling out
fervently and repeatedly
to the parent; the
movement ends in a moment
of great tnesion and
uncertainty. The second
movment (Within) quietly
opens with the lost
parent finally answering,
represented by a solo
cello; the child (now
personified by the
violin) has found the
parent within the
sanctuary of her own
heart. This movement
highlights the joy and
solemnity of this
beautiful discovery.
-S.G.
Unison/2-part children's choir, piano accompaniment SKU: WD.080689904127 ...(+)
Unison/2-part children's
choir, piano
accompaniment
SKU:
WD.080689904127
Composed by Daniel
Semsen. Arranged by
Daniel Semsen. Choral,
cantatas. WordKidz.
Christmas. Accompaniment
CD (split). Duration ca.
38 minutes. Word Music
#080689904127. Published
by Word Music
(WD.080689904127).
UPC:
080689904127.
Chris
ty Semsen and Daniel
Semsen - the
groundbreaking creative
team who brought you The
Agape League and We Three
Spies - are back
again...this time better
than ever! Isaiah Jones
and the Seekers of the
Lost Christmas Treasure
delivers action and
adventure galore as your
Kids Choir is transported
into a video game world
of mystery, intrigue, and
adrenaline-generating
Christmas fun!
Join in
the excitement as our
young hero, along with
his friends and
companions, search for
the Lost Christmas
Treasure, navigating
levels of the video game
as they go. Cheer them on
through challenge after
challenge as they follow
the shooting star that
guides their way on a
suspense-filled journey,
leading them to their
greatest discovery...the
real Treasure of
Christmas is Jesus!
Unison/2-part children's choir, piano accompaniment SKU: WD.080689510090 ...(+)
Unison/2-part children's
choir, piano
accompaniment
SKU:
WD.080689510090
Composed by Daniel
Semsen. Arranged by
Daniel Semsen. Choral,
cantatas. WordKidz.
Christmas. Accompaniment
video. Duration ca. 38
minutes. Word Music
#080689510090. Published
by Word Music
(WD.080689510090).
UPC:
080689510090.
Chris
ty Semsen and Daniel
Semsen - the
groundbreaking creative
team who brought you The
Agape League and We Three
Spies - are back
again...this time better
than ever! Isaiah Jones
and the Seekers of the
Lost Christmas Treasure
delivers action and
adventure galore as your
Kids Choir is transported
into a video game world
of mystery, intrigue, and
adrenaline-generating
Christmas fun!
Join in
the excitement as our
young hero, along with
his friends and
companions, search for
the Lost Christmas
Treasure, navigating
levels of the video game
as they go. Cheer them on
through challenge after
challenge as they follow
the shooting star that
guides their way on a
suspense-filled journey,
leading them to their
greatest discovery...the
real Treasure of
Christmas is Jesus!
Unison/2-part children's choir, piano accompaniment SKU: WD.080689798726 ...(+)
Unison/2-part children's
choir, piano
accompaniment
SKU:
WD.080689798726
Composed by Daniel
Semsen. Arranged by
Daniel Semsen. Choral,
cantatas. WordKidz.
Christmas. Bulk CD
(10-pak). Duration ca. 38
minutes. Word Music
#080689798726. Published
by Word Music
(WD.080689798726).
UPC:
080689798726.
Chris
ty Semsen and Daniel
Semsen - the
groundbreaking creative
team who brought you The
Agape League and We Three
Spies - are back
again...this time better
than ever! Isaiah Jones
and the Seekers of the
Lost Christmas Treasure
delivers action and
adventure galore as your
Kids Choir is transported
into a video game world
of mystery, intrigue, and
adrenaline-generating
Christmas fun!
Join in
the excitement as our
young hero, along with
his friends and
companions, search for
the Lost Christmas
Treasure, navigating
levels of the video game
as they go. Cheer them on
through challenge after
challenge as they follow
the shooting star that
guides their way on a
suspense-filled journey,
leading them to their
greatest discovery...the
real Treasure of
Christmas is Jesus!
Unison/2-part children's choir, piano accompaniment SKU: WD.080689873225 ...(+)
Unison/2-part children's
choir, piano
accompaniment
SKU:
WD.080689873225
Composed by Daniel
Semsen. Arranged by
Daniel Semsen. Choral,
cantatas. WordKidz.
Eastertide. Listening CD.
Duration ca. 38 minutes.
Word Music #080689873225.
Published by Word Music
(WD.080689873225).
UPC:
080689873225.
Chris
ty Semsen and Daniel
Semsen - the
groundbreaking creative
team who brought you The
Agape League and We Three
Spies - are back
again...this time better
than ever! Isaiah Jones
and the Seekers of the
Lost Christmas Treasure
delivers action and
adventure galore as your
Kids Choir is transported
into a video game world
of mystery, intrigue, and
adrenaline-generating
Christmas fun!
Join in
the excitement as our
young hero, along with
his friends and
companions, search for
the Lost Christmas
Treasure, navigating
levels of the video game
as they go. Cheer them on
through challenge after
challenge as they follow
the shooting star that
guides their way on a
suspense-filled journey,
leading them to their
greatest discovery...the
real Treasure of
Christmas is Jesus!
Unison/2-part children's choir, piano accompaniment SKU: WD.080689353970 ...(+)
Unison/2-part children's
choir, piano
accompaniment
SKU:
WD.080689353970
Composed by Daniel
Semsen. Arranged by
Daniel Semsen. Choral,
cantatas. WordKidz.
Christmas. Teacher's
resource kit. Duration
ca. 38 minutes. Word
Music #080689353970.
Published by Word Music
(WD.080689353970).
UPC:
080689353970.
Chris
ty Semsen and Daniel
Semsen - the
groundbreaking creative
team who brought you The
Agape League and We Three
Spies - are back
again...this time better
than ever! Isaiah Jones
and the Seekers of the
Lost Christmas Treasure
delivers action and
adventure galore as your
Kids Choir is transported
into a video game world
of mystery, intrigue, and
adrenaline-generating
Christmas fun!
Join in
the excitement as our
young hero, along with
his friends and
companions, search for
the Lost Christmas
Treasure, navigating
levels of the video game
as they go. Cheer them on
through challenge after
challenge as they follow
the shooting star that
guides their way on a
suspense-filled journey,
leading them to their
greatest discovery...the
real Treasure of
Christmas is Jesus!
Cassatt. Composed
by Dan Welcher. Premiere:
Cassatt Quartet,
Northeastern Illinois
University, Chicago, IL.
Contemporary. Full score.
With Standard notation.
Composed 2007. WRT11142.
52 pages. Duration 24
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #164-00272S.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.16400272S).
UPC:
680160588442. 8.5 x 11
inches.
My third
quartet is laid out in a
three-movement structure,
with each movement based
on an early, middle, and
late work of the great
American impressionist
painter Mary Cassatt.
Although the movements
are separate, with
full-stop endings, the
music is connected by a
common scale-form,
derived from the name
MARY CASSATT, and by a
recurring theme that
introduces all three
movements. I see this
theme as Mary's Theme, a
personality that stays
intact while undergoing
gradual change. I
The Bacchante (1876)
[Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania] The
painting shows a young
girl of Italian or
Spanish origin, playing a
small pair of cymbals.
Since Cassatt was trying
very hard to fit in at
the French Academy at the
time, she painted a lot
of these subjects, which
were considered typical
and universal. The style
of the painting doesn't
yet show Cassatt's
originality, except
perhaps for certain
details in the face.
Accordingly the music for
this movement is
Spanish/Italian, in a
similar period-style but
using the musical
signature described
above. The music begins
with Mary's Theme,
ruminative and slow, then
abruptly changes to an
alla Spagnola-type fast
3/4 - 6/8 meter. It
evokes the
Spanish-influenced music
of Ravel and Falla.
Midway through,
there's an accompanied
recitative for the viola,
which figures large in
this particular movement,
then back to a truncated
recapitulation of the
fast music. The overall
feeling is of a
well-made, rather
conventional movement in
a contemporary
Spanish/Italian style.
Cassatt's painting, too,
is rather conventional.
II At the Opera
(1880) [Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts]
This painting is one of
Cassatt's most well known
works, and it hangs in
the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston. The painting
shows a woman alone in a
box at the opera house,
completely dressed
(including gloves) and
looking through opera
glasses at someone or
something that is NOT on
the stage. Across the
auditorium from her, but
exactly at eye level, is
a gentleman with opera
glasses intently watching
her - though it is not
him that she's looking
at. It's an intriguing
picture. This
movement is far less
conventional than the
first movement, as the
painting is far less
conventional. The music
begins with a rapid,
Shostakovich-type
mini-overture lasting
less than a minute, based
on Mary's Theme. My
conjecture is that the
woman in the painting has
arrived late to the
opera, busily stumbling
into her box. What
happens next is a kind of
collage, a kind of
surrealistic overlaying
of two different
elements: the foreground
music, at first is a
direct quotation of
Soldier's Chorus from
Gounod's FAUST (an opera
Cassatt would certainly
have heard in the
brand-new Paris Opera
House at that time),
played by Violin II,
Viola, and Cello. This
music is played sul
ponticello in the melody
and col legno in the
marching accompaniment.
On top of this, the first
violin hovers at first on
a high harmonic, then
descends into a slow
melody, completely
separate from the Gounod.
It's as if the woman in
the painting is hearing
the opera onstage but is
not really interested in
it. Then the cello joins
the first violin in a
kind of love-duet (just
the two of them, at
first). This music isn't
at all Gounod-derived;
it's entirely from the
same scale patterns as
the first movement and
derives from Mary's Theme
and its scale. The music
stays in a kind of
dichotomy feeling,
usually
three-against-one, until
the end of the movement,
when another Gounod
melody, Valentin's aria
Avant de quitter ce lieux
reappears in a kind of
coda for all four
players. It ends
atmospherically and
emotionally disconnected,
however. The overall
feeling is a kind of
schizophrenic,
opera-inspired dream.
III Young Woman in
Green, Outdoors in the
Sun (1909) [Worcester Art
Museum, Massachusetts]
The painting, one
of Cassatt's last, is
very simple: just a
figure, looking sideways
out of the picture. The
colors are pastel and yet
bold - and the woman is
likewise very
self-assured and not in
the least demure. It is
eight minutes long, and
is all about melody -
three melodies, to be
exact (Young Woman,
Green, and Sunlight). No
angst, no choppy rhythms,
just ever-unfolding
melody and lush
harmonies. I quote one
other French composer
here, too: Debussy's song
Green, from Ariettes
Oubliees. 1909 would have
been Debussy's heyday in
Paris, and it makes
perfect sense musically
as well as visually to do
this. Mary Cassatt
lived her last several
years in near-total
blindness, and as she
lost visual acuity, her
work became less sharply
defined - something akin
to late water lilies of
Monet, who suffered
similar vision loss. My
idea of making this
movement entirely melodic
was compounded by having
each of the three
melodies appear twice,
once in a pure form, and
the second time in a more
diffuse setting. This
makes an interesting two
ways form:
A-B-C-A1-B1-C1.
String Quartet No.3
(Cassatt) is dedicated,
with great affection and
respect, to the Cassatt
String Quartet, whose
members have dedicated
themselves in large
measure to the furthering
of the contemporary
repertoire for
quartet.
Chamber Music String Quartet SKU: PR.164002720 Cassatt. Composed b...(+)
Chamber Music String
Quartet
SKU:
PR.164002720
Cassatt. Composed
by Dan Welcher. Spiral
and Saddle. Premiere:
Cassatt Quartet,
Northeastern Illinois
University, Chicago, IL.
Contemporary. Set of
Score and Parts. With
Standard notation.
Composed 2007. WRT11142.
52+16+16+16+16 pages.
Duration 24 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#164-00272. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.164002720).
UPC:
680160573042. 8.5 x 11
inches.
My third
quartet is laid out in a
three-movement structure,
with each movement based
on an early, middle, and
late work of the great
American impressionist
painter Mary Cassatt.
Although the movements
are separate, with
full-stop endings, the
music is connected by a
common scale-form,
derived from the name
MARY CASSATT, and by a
recurring theme that
introduces all three
movements. I see this
theme as Mary's Theme, a
personality that stays
intact while undergoing
gradual change. I
The Bacchante (1876)
[Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania] The
painting shows a young
girl of Italian or
Spanish origin, playing a
small pair of cymbals.
Since Cassatt was trying
very hard to fit in at
the French Academy at the
time, she painted a lot
of these subjects, which
were considered typical
and universal. The style
of the painting doesn't
yet show Cassatt's
originality, except
perhaps for certain
details in the face.
Accordingly the music for
this movement is
Spanish/Italian, in a
similar period-style but
using the musical
signature described
above. The music begins
with Mary's Theme,
ruminative and slow, then
abruptly changes to an
alla Spagnola-type fast
3/4 - 6/8 meter. It
evokes the
Spanish-influenced music
of Ravel and Falla.
Midway through,
there's an accompanied
recitative for the viola,
which figures large in
this particular movement,
then back to a truncated
recapitulation of the
fast music. The overall
feeling is of a
well-made, rather
conventional movement in
a contemporary
Spanish/Italian style.
Cassatt's painting, too,
is rather conventional.
II At the Opera
(1880) [Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts]
This painting is one of
Cassatt's most well known
works, and it hangs in
the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston. The painting
shows a woman alone in a
box at the opera house,
completely dressed
(including gloves) and
looking through opera
glasses at someone or
something that is NOT on
the stage. Across the
auditorium from her, but
exactly at eye level, is
a gentleman with opera
glasses intently watching
her - though it is not
him that she's looking
at. It's an intriguing
picture. This
movement is far less
conventional than the
first movement, as the
painting is far less
conventional. The music
begins with a rapid,
Shostakovich-type
mini-overture lasting
less than a minute, based
on Mary's Theme. My
conjecture is that the
woman in the painting has
arrived late to the
opera, busily stumbling
into her box. What
happens next is a kind of
collage, a kind of
surrealistic overlaying
of two different
elements: the foreground
music, at first is a
direct quotation of
Soldier's Chorus from
Gounod's FAUST (an opera
Cassatt would certainly
have heard in the
brand-new Paris Opera
House at that time),
played by Violin II,
Viola, and Cello. This
music is played sul
ponticello in the melody
and col legno in the
marching accompaniment.
On top of this, the first
violin hovers at first on
a high harmonic, then
descends into a slow
melody, completely
separate from the Gounod.
It's as if the woman in
the painting is hearing
the opera onstage but is
not really interested in
it. Then the cello joins
the first violin in a
kind of love-duet (just
the two of them, at
first). This music isn't
at all Gounod-derived;
it's entirely from the
same scale patterns as
the first movement and
derives from Mary's Theme
and its scale. The music
stays in a kind of
dichotomy feeling,
usually
three-against-one, until
the end of the movement,
when another Gounod
melody, Valentin's aria
Avant de quitter ce lieux
reappears in a kind of
coda for all four
players. It ends
atmospherically and
emotionally disconnected,
however. The overall
feeling is a kind of
schizophrenic,
opera-inspired dream.
III Young Woman in
Green, Outdoors in the
Sun (1909) [Worcester Art
Museum, Massachusetts]
The painting, one
of Cassatt's last, is
very simple: just a
figure, looking sideways
out of the picture. The
colors are pastel and yet
bold - and the woman is
likewise very
self-assured and not in
the least demure. It is
eight minutes long, and
is all about melody -
three melodies, to be
exact (Young Woman,
Green, and Sunlight). No
angst, no choppy rhythms,
just ever-unfolding
melody and lush
harmonies. I quote one
other French composer
here, too: Debussy's song
Green, from Ariettes
Oubliees. 1909 would have
been Debussy's heyday in
Paris, and it makes
perfect sense musically
as well as visually to do
this. Mary Cassatt
lived her last several
years in near-total
blindness, and as she
lost visual acuity, her
work became less sharply
defined - something akin
to late water lilies of
Monet, who suffered
similar vision loss. My
idea of making this
movement entirely melodic
was compounded by having
each of the three
melodies appear twice,
once in a pure form, and
the second time in a more
diffuse setting. This
makes an interesting two
ways form:
A-B-C-A1-B1-C1.
String Quartet No.3
(Cassatt) is dedicated,
with great affection and
respect, to the Cassatt
String Quartet, whose
members have dedicated
themselves in large
measure to the furthering
of the contemporary
repertoire for
quartet.