Lachrymose (2010) for clarinet, violin, and viola
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Program Notes
Lachrymose was commissioned by Mary Alice Druhan, Associate Professor of Clarinet at Texas A&M University – Commerce, for performance at the International Clarinet Association’s 2010 ClarinetFest in Austin, Texas. The work was written for clarinet (B-flat and bass), violin and viola and was completed in April 2010 in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
This work is the third piece that I have written as a reaction to a short story by Stanley Donwood. The structure of this work is based on four phrases from the opening of the story, taken out of context in the order that they appear. There are no separate movements; however, the piece as a whole is loosely divided into four continuous sections. The first two sections are guided by the imagery described in the phrases, “dust in a sunlit stairwell,” and “tiny fragments of things that were no longer there.” The final two sections can be interpreted as a direct, literal setting of the last two phrases: “floating aimlessly” and “sinking slowly.”
Even though there is considerably strong extra-musical inspiration for this work, I do not believe it is necessary for the audience to be aware of any of it before listening. If the text for each of the sections is shown in the program, be sure to have each phrase enclosed with parenthesis so that they may not seem like four individual movements to the audience. Whether or not program notes are available to the audience prior to performance is entirely up to the performers. Performers may also choose to read the story aloud to the audience before the performance.
Performance
Lachrymose was commissioned by Mary Alice Druhan, Associate Professor of Clarinet at Texas A&M University – Commerce, for performance at the International Clarinet Association’s 2010 ClarinetFest in Austin, Texas. The work was written for clarinet (B-flat and bass), violin and viola and was completed in April 2010 in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
This work is the third piece that I have written as a reaction to a short story by Stanley Donwood. The structure of this work is based on four phrases from the opening of the story, taken out of context in the order that they appear. There are no separate movements; however, the piece as a whole is loosely divided into four continuous sections. The first two sections are guided by the imagery described in the phrases, “dust in a sunlit stairwell,” and “tiny fragments of things that were no longer there.” The final two sections can be interpreted as a direct, literal setting of the last two phrases: “floating aimlessly” and “sinking slowly.”
Even though there is considerably strong extra-musical inspiration for this work, I do not believe it is necessary for the audience to be aware of any of it before listening. If the text for each of the sections is shown in the program, be sure to have each phrase enclosed with parenthesis so that they may not seem like four individual movements to the audience. Whether or not program notes are available to the audience prior to performance is entirely up to the performers. Performers may also choose to read the story aloud to the audience before the performance.
Performance
- July 23, 2010 University of Texas at Austin, International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest (Austin, TX)