Chamber Music Cello, Flute SKU: PR.114422590
Composed by Chen Yi. Set of Score and Parts. 8+2+2 pages. Duration 2:30. Theodore Presser Company #114-42259. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.114422590). ISBN 9781491134771. UPC: 680160685493.
Chen Yi describes the cheery interplay of HAPPY TUNE as one instrument playing a lively melody, while the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern as accompaniment. The pair of instruments imitates primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the traditional wind instrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ. One of the composer’s favorite themes to develop for different textures, HAPPY TUNE is a variant from Chen Yi’s Three Bagatelles from China West, both versions appearing in several scorings.
Composed to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, HAPPY TUNE was originally written as a violin/viola duet for Kim Kashkashian and Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, and premiered at the festival on June 16, 2018. The flute/cello adaptation was created in 2021.I fondly remember being invited by the GLCMF (directed by Prof. James Tocco) to be the dual Stone Composers-in-Residence with my husband Zhou Long, along with the Stone Composer Fellow Nicholas Omiccioli in 2011. We had a dozen of our chamber works performed excellently by the outstanding chamber ensembles and musicians during the week, meeting enthusiastic audiences and supporters of new music in various venues at the festival. The experience was truly inspiring, and I created HAPPY TUNE to honor the GLCMF, with hopes to carry on the high spirit in our new music society.In this duet, when one instrument plays a lively melody, the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern in the accompaniment. The pair of string instruments imitates the sound of primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the Chinese traditional wind instrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ.
