Trombone

with Piano

This piece was not written specifically in response to either the poem by Maya Angelou or that by Paul Dunbar that both refer to “the caged bird”. However, there is no doubt that both poems have inspired my own further exploration and now musical extrapolation on the subject of being “caged” and of still “singing” in spite of this. With all due respect and admiration for Ms. Angelou and Mr. Dunbar, I have attempted here in my own concept of “cagedness” to include, beyond  racial references, also those issues that include gender, sexuality, economic status, medical/physical problems and any number of other situations that create restrictive and even imprisoning boundaries from which we and all others struggle to break free and find fully human, creative and even spiritual expression within ourselves. Even within the many bonds and restrictive boundaries that we often find ourselves, it still seems to be a fundamental part of our Nature as both human and Spiritual beings that we cannot help but “sing” in both joy and praise both from ourselves and to our own Creator despite the sometimes, even apparently insurmountable obstacles we encounter. For me, this piece is not so much an exploration as to “why the caged bird sings” as it is simply a commenting, even with some measure of wonderment, on its remarkable inevitability.

with Piano; Commissioned by the International Women's Brass Conference, 2014; Playable on Trombone or Euphonium.  Bass clef and treble clef solo parts provided.

2017 The Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival Competition Music

with Piano

Subtitled "War Games", this Concerto is in four movements:

I. Toy Soldiers

II. Courtship

III. Marriage

IV. Capture the Flag

The Concerto was commissioned by Frank Meredith in honor of Maestro Charles Schneider, 2019

Commissioned by the Elysian Trombone Consort and premiered at the International Women's Brass Conference (May 2019).  Generously funded by the University of Dayton Department of Music.

noc·turne (näktərn)

noun

1.1. – MUSIC - a short composition of a romantic or dreamy character suggestive of night, typically for piano.

2.2. – ART - a picture of a night scene.

In this case, I am not trying to replicate a dreamy piano piece but rather a piece of Art depicting a more contemporary night scene. I am seeing myself sitting on a front porch, balcony or back deck in the evening. All is calm as one struggles to get past the stresses of the day and relax into the growing night. Depending on one's whereabouts there is a rush of sound, a scurry and a scuttling. This could be animals in a rural setting or mischievous children, even thieves in the city. One then either watches a "woman of the night" walk down the street or imagines an amorous encounter with one's own partner. Perhaps both. The scurrying happens again and one settles back into a state of observance and even reverie. Throughout one can find occasional depictions of heartbeats, reminding us of how grateful we are to experience this night.

Barbara York, 2019