In a House Besieged
I. A Natural Disaster (excerpt)
II. Almost No Memory (excerpt)
III. The Cottages (excerpt)
IV. Order (excerpt)
V. In a House Besieged (excerpt)
AUDIO
The Crossing; Donald Nally, Conductor
Scott Dettra, organ
Live performance at the Cleveland Museum of Art
March 25, 2022
DURATION
28'
INSTRUMENTATION
SATB (div.) and organ
AUTHOR OF TEXT
Lydia Davis
YEAR COMPOSED
2021
COMMISSIONER
Commissioned by the Cleveland Museum of Art, with generous support of the Musart Society, in honor of Robert G. Schneider. Written for The Crossing, Donald Nally, and Scott Dettra.
HOW TO LIST ON CONCERT PROGRAM
In a House Besieged
Prologue
I. A Natural Disaster
II. Almost No Memory
III. The Cottages: 2. Lillian
IV. Order
V. In a House Besieged
Epilogue
ORDERING SCORES
This work is published as a digital score with a performance license. The pricing is based on the number of singers in a choir:
The Crossing; Donald Nally, Conductor
Scott Dettra, organ
Live performance at the Cleveland Museum of Art
March 25, 2022
DURATION
28'
INSTRUMENTATION
SATB (div.) and organ
AUTHOR OF TEXT
Lydia Davis
YEAR COMPOSED
2021
COMMISSIONER
Commissioned by the Cleveland Museum of Art, with generous support of the Musart Society, in honor of Robert G. Schneider. Written for The Crossing, Donald Nally, and Scott Dettra.
HOW TO LIST ON CONCERT PROGRAM
In a House Besieged
Prologue
I. A Natural Disaster
II. Almost No Memory
III. The Cottages: 2. Lillian
IV. Order
V. In a House Besieged
Epilogue
ORDERING SCORES
This work is published as a digital score with a performance license. The pricing is based on the number of singers in a choir:
- $100: up to 20 singers
- $200: 21-50 singers
- $300: 51-79 singers
- $400: 80+ singers
- Click on the link to email Inkjar Publishing Company
- Specify the number of singers and the name of your choir.
- An invoice will be sent to you via PayPal.
- Once payment is received, you will be emailed the licensed PDF within three business days (excluding weekends and holidays).
PERUSAL SCORE
Email the composer at Inkjar Publishing Company
PROGRAM NOTE
In a House Besieged features several short stories by contemporary American writer Lydia Davis that reflect the fear and anxiety that accompany the aging process. We see our homes and the world around us crumble and decay with time; can we admit that our bodies and minds will do the same? If we are lucky enough to grow old, will we remember who we are?
The piece presents five stories over the course of five movements, each highlighting various aspects of the aging process. Two additional fragments woven between these movements serve as a prologue, a series of interludes, and an epilogue. One fragment consists of the sounds someone makes while trying to recall how to pronounce the word “woman.” The other fragment, when fully heard at the end of the piece, illustrates the rising apprehension a person experiences with the onset and progression of dementia.
Texts are excerpted or used in full; they are taken from the following short stories: "Suddenly Afraid," "The Busy Road," "A Natural Disaster," "Almost No Memory," "The Cottages: 2. Lillian," "Order," and "In a House Besieged.”
-S.G.
Email the composer at Inkjar Publishing Company
PROGRAM NOTE
In a House Besieged features several short stories by contemporary American writer Lydia Davis that reflect the fear and anxiety that accompany the aging process. We see our homes and the world around us crumble and decay with time; can we admit that our bodies and minds will do the same? If we are lucky enough to grow old, will we remember who we are?
The piece presents five stories over the course of five movements, each highlighting various aspects of the aging process. Two additional fragments woven between these movements serve as a prologue, a series of interludes, and an epilogue. One fragment consists of the sounds someone makes while trying to recall how to pronounce the word “woman.” The other fragment, when fully heard at the end of the piece, illustrates the rising apprehension a person experiences with the onset and progression of dementia.
Texts are excerpted or used in full; they are taken from the following short stories: "Suddenly Afraid," "The Busy Road," "A Natural Disaster," "Almost No Memory," "The Cottages: 2. Lillian," "Order," and "In a House Besieged.”
-S.G.
-
HELIOS • 4’30” • 2 tpts/flugelhorns, hn, tbn, tba
PROGRAM NOTES
In Greek mythology, Helios was the god of the sun. His head wreathed in light, he daily drove a chariot drawn by four horses (in some tales, the horses are winged; in others, they are made of fire) across the sky. At the end of each day’s journey, he slept in a golden boat that carried him on the Okeanos River (a fresh water stream that encircled the flat earth) back to his rising place. The cyclic journey of Helios is depicted in this short work for brass quintet. The first half is fast-paced and very energetic, while the second half is slow and serene, representing day and night.
-S.G.