i. the one I started impulsively… score preview
ii. the one without bows... score preview
iii. the slow one I wrote the day after Christmas… score preview
iv. the fast one Fred Fox would probably not like… score preview
v. the Greek one (because I can’t help myself)… score preview
Dedicated to Tania Maxwell Clements and Serena Scibelli
Duration: 12 min.
A Little Book of Bagatelles for violin and viola is a light-hearted work dedicated to my colleagues Tania Maxwell Clements (viola) and Serena Scibelli (violin). The intent was simply to compose a series of short vignettes for the duo. While I believe the movement titles adequately describe the character of each respective movement, there is a little bit to add about each bagatelle. The first movement was truly started impulsively between composition lessons one afternoon in the fall. I sketched out the opening few bars on a whim then came back to flesh out the music later. The second movement’s title pretty much sums up my intent. It’s simply a short bouncy movement using pizzicato technique exclusively in both instruments. I wrote the third movement in one day. The day after Christmas was relatively quiet in my house. With both my children home visiting for the holiday and the busyness of Christmas (with everything leading up to it) behind me, the music reflects my very peaceful state that day. The fourth movement is a fugue and is named after one of my composition teachers at Indiana University. While my primary teacher while I was at IU was the incomparable Donald Erb, I was also blessed to have spent time (especially in orchestration studies) with the composer Fred Fox. I will always remember the time during a composition seminar when a young undergrad student presented Fred with a fugue, and the elder composer snatched the music out the student’s hand and growled “We don’t write fugues anymore!” Sorry, Fred. I did! For the final short movement of this piece, I again leaned heavily into my Greek roots as I do every now and then in my compositions. The music is mostly in 7/8 time and based on the kalamatiano, a dance originating from the Peloponnesian region of Greece: specifically, the city of Kalamata.