Bassoon and Piano

with Piano; Queen Hatshepsut was one of the most enigmatic and interesting figures in ancient Egyptian history. She was the only woman to ever rule as "pharaoh" at a time when only males were allowed to hold that position. For this reason she is often depicted in carvings and drawings of the period wearing a beard or a man's clothing. She also had a secret love affair with an architect named Senmut, who designed many beautiful buildings in her day, including the dramatic Deir El-Bahari temple carved out of a jagged cliff in Thebes. Since no music of that period survives, this work is an imagining of a secret chant and private dance Hatshepsut may have performed for Senmut. The work begins with strange and beguiling chants in the bassoon, including exotic "multiphonics." (Bassoon fingerings for the mutiphonics are included with the score and part.) These are accompanied in the piano with musical gestures reflecting the closing of large, stone,tomb doors, marches of the temple priests, and amagical sprinkling of ancient chords. The dance that follows is in the spirit of the infamous "Dance of the Seven Veils," in which, during each section the female dancer sheds another layer of covering and increases the pace. beginning slowly, each of the seven sections build in peed and motion leader both the dancer and her audience into a furious, wild, spinning finale. Learn More

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Commissioned by Tainan Symphony Band for Prof.Chia-Chu Hsu 

Sponsored by Cultural Affairs Bureau Tainan City Government 

for 2021 Asia and Pacific Band Festival 

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Modern Suite of Ancient Tunes employs early melodies from three sources. The first movement, Westron Wynde, is based on an early 16th century melody from the time of Henry VIII. It was used as the cantus firmus in masses by English composers during the Renaissance, the most famous of whom is John Taverner (c. 1490-1545). The bassoon plays a freely evolving and legato version of the tune, while the piano punctuates with staccato statements and chords.

The second movement, Machaut Variations, is based on the famous love song Quant je suis mis au retour by the mediaeval French composer Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377). A simple setting of the melody appears first and is followed by five variations, each with a different character. The final variation is the boldest, featuring fortissimo dynamics, tertian and added note chords, quartal harmonies, and syncopated rhythms.

The final movement, Chant Hildegard, quotes melodies from Hildegard of Bingen’s (1098-1179) Ordo Virtutum (The Play of Virtues). Hildegard was a German abbess, poet, scholar, and composer, and is the best-known female composer of the Medieval period. Chant Hildegard’s slow opening quotes the Chant of the Patriarchs and Prophets, while the fast middle and majestic ending sections weave the Chant of the Virtues into an athletic bassoon line.  The piece ends with chantlike, organal harmonies in the bassoon and piano.

 

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with Piano; Originally for Tuba, this piece was adapted for Bassoon. It is a nice recital piece for a High School or College student. It is fun and flashy. Learn More

with Piano

In Voodoo lore, Baron Cimetiére is the loa (spirit) who is the keeper and guardian of cemeteries. Depictions of him are quite chilling. He is usually pictured in dark tailcoat and tall dark hat—like an undertaker—wearing dark glasses with one lens missing. He carries a cane, smokes cigars and is a notorious trickster. Son of Cimetiére is based on materials from the composer’s Baron Cimetiére’s Mambo for wind ensemble.

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Variants on “Our God Almighty”

Trombone or Bassoon or Oboe Solo with Organ

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Trombone/Bassoon Duet and Organ

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Oboe and Trombone/Bassoon Duet and Organ Learn More

with Piano; Sonata della speranza “Sonata of Hope” for bassoon and piano by Howard J. Buss was written for Dr. Ann Shoemaker and is dedicated to the memory of bassoonist Dr. Eric Van der Veer Varner. When work on this sonata began in the autumn of 2019 it was being composed for Eric, a friend of the composer. After Eric’s sudden, tragic death shortly thereafter, the project was shelved. Work resumed in the spring during the global Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, Italy was the epicenter of the crisis and the composer, having friends living there, was deeply concerned with their welfare. As the composition developed, Italy overcame the worst of the ravages of the disease, and the pandemic took firm hold in the United States. The composer wrote much of Sonata della speranza while at home in Florida adhering to governmental shelter-in-place orders.

The three movements address an array of emotions the composer experienced following the death of his friend and during the pandemic. The optimistic character of “Auspicious Sunrise” radiates the hope imbued in the morning glow of a new day. The musing nature of “Introspective” reflects the inner dialogue often experienced during the extended periods of social isolation. The buoyant, and at times whimsical third movement, “Serendipitous,” combines elements from the previous movements with new material: The music exudes an optimistic, forward thrust, while incorporating feelings from the daily experiences of living through the pandemic. Learn More

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This piece for bassoon and piano was written for my daughter, Megan Potter, for her Senior Recital in Bassoon in 2002. As I tend to write “concept” pieces, this Sonata was designed to be very personal and to revolve around my daughter and our immediate family.

The first movement depicts the “happy family” of her childhood, when we were all together. The second movement expresses some of the tender feelings she was then having for the young man whom she eventually married.

The third movement is one of my “Matthew” movements. I find that I often have my son in mind when I write some of my most cheerful and lively pieces and this one displays a certain jauntiness and irrepressible jocularity that Matthew always had as a young child. 

Notes by Barbara York

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The aria “Sposa Son Disprezzata” appears in Antonio Vivaldi’s opera “Bajazet,” written in 1735. As a pasticcio-style work, this Italian opera was composed using various arias from different masterworks and composers. In the case of Vivaldi’s Sposa, the aria was borrowed from Giacomelli’s “La Merope.” The title of this work translates roughly to “I am a scorned wife.”

Vivaldi scores the aria for a grief-stricken wife (Irene), who longs for the love of her husband. Yet, Irene’s husband, Tamerlano, seeks the love of another woman, ignoring the vows he has taken with his wife. Tamerlano, a lord and conqueror, carelessly pawns off his wife in an effort to court his other love interest. Feeling alone and confused, Irene laments her husband’s infidelity.

In this version, Sposa Son Disprezzata is arranged for bassoon and piano by Arizona State University bassoon profesor Albie Micklich. To capture the transparency of the “scorned wife’s” song, the bassoon’s tessitura rests in the middle and high registers, most accurately portraying a voice-like timbre. A floating, melancholy character of the melody persists throughout the aria. Micklich and ASU faculty collaborative pianist Andrew Campbell premiered this arrangement in the fall of 2010 to a very receptive audience.

–Maxwell Grube

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