Program Note

Three Scenes for Trumpet and Piano was composed during a residency at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

While begun from vague notions of a parade, chant, and dance, there is no specific extra-musical narrative; rather, the music led the way.

Quickstep presents three thematic ideas in various combinations: a fanfare, rolling oscillations of chords built from fourths, and a repetitive march using four pitches.

Incantation is a nocturne contrasting the sparkling piano textures and chanting trumpet line of the opening with slower lyric music in chorale texture. Initially juxtaposed, the ideas merge into one by the final phrase.

Concluding the set is the fast Tango , which frequently departs from the usual 4/4 into mixed meters. In almost a moto perpetuo , the trumpet and piano are frequently pitted against each other, spinning out a stream of syncopated 16 th notes in toccata-like development.

Recording

White Pine Music (700261419169)   Call & Response
Neil Mueller, trumpet; Zhihua Tang, piano