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CONTEMPORARY VOCAL ENSEMBLE MUSIC
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NOCTURNE
for vocal ensemble and five instruments
Duration:
9 minutes
Instrumentation:
12 singers (SATB), soprano saxophone,
clarinet, harp, guitar and percussion
Year Composed:
1999
Text:
Vocalize
Written For:
Tamara Brooks
Premiere Performance:
8 March, 2000
Boston, MA, USA
New England Conservatory Chamber Singers
Eric Hewitt, soprano Saxophone
Rob Hadesbeck, clarinet
Ted Stefan, guitar
Jun Yoo, harp
Seth McConnell, percussion
Tamara Brooks, conductor
Modern vocal ensemble pieces
THEMES:
LISTEN
Program Notes:
While writing Nocturne, I was inspired by the summer nights in the Berkshires. The whispering woods, the flickering lights, choirs of insects, and the moon reflected over the lake all found their way into the score as a musical impression. The score calls for twelve singers (each with individual parts), soprano saxophone, clarinet, guitar, harp, and percussion, which are used here less for their melodic and harmonic possibilities and more as brushes — creating spots, clouds, shadows, and beams of sound.
Nocturne was written at the invitation of Tamara Brooks and is dedicated to her.
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