To also view a performance of this work, visit the video section of the Media Center or YouTube.
Duration: 8'30"
Commissioned by the Georgia Music Teachers Association in celebration of their 50th Anniversary
2004 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Shepherd Composer of the Year - Honorable Mention
secret music is a short virtuosic work exploring the joy of music through the ears of a young child. The piece was inspired by my daughter Eleni, who, from a very young age, has exibited a great and natural love for music. The title refers to a “secret” language that Eleni used when singing as a small child. One of the more memorable phrases of her secret language was “zella la zolla.” I suspect this word was her imitation of Italian after encountering opera for the first time. The entire composition is based upon the rhythm of this phrase. The work opens with a motive derived from the phrase and continues exuberantly throughout. Although cast as a single movement, the piece is subdivided into three clear sections observing a traditional fast – slow – fast scheme.
When thinking about this commission, Secret Music seemed an appropriate response to the honor of my selection as the composer for the 50th Anniversary of the Georgia Music teachers Association. As teachers, it is always our hope to nurture and develop the innate joy of music that exists in all children – of all ages.