Work
On the horizon : from the song cycle Fables of Love, for soprano and string quartet
by John Spence (2014)
Score
On the horizon : from the song cycle Fables of Love, for soprano and string quartet / John Spence.
Library shelf no. 783.66542/SPE 2 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
On the Horizon is a lyrical aria for soprano and string
quartet. It is the 3rd movement from a song cycle called
Fables of love. It has been composed for the soprano
Nuria Rial who has performed a lot of interesting baroque
repertoire with a ground bass. Her vocal interpretations of this
repertoire has been an inspiration for this piece.
The music in this composition builds upon a ground bass played by
the cello in pizzicato. As the parts build, the music progresses
to a middle section with an alternative pizzicato taken up by the
viola. As the tension builds, the quartet becomes unified and
more passionate with 4 part arco and then returns to a modified
version of the opening ground bass section. The harmony consists
of a progression of non diatonic extended chords connected
through pivot notes.
Work Details
Year: 2014
Instrumentation: Soprano, 2 violins, viola, cello.
Duration: 7 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Dedication note: dedicated to the soprano Nuria Rial
Lyrics by the composer.
The composer notes the following styles, genres, influences, etc on this work:
Gabriel Fauré is an influence on this piece.
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