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Work Overview
The title My Song is Love Unknown is taken from a hymn
tune by John Ireland. I
was initially attracted to this hymn tune because of its sense of
compassion and pathos,
during a time when, it seemed to me, the English-speaking world
was edging towards
authoritarianism, especially in regard to the treatment of its
most vulnerable citizens.
Musically, this piano quartet is quite like a Chorale Prelude in
that it uses a wellknown
sacred melody and then weaves new material around it. In a
structural sense, it
is also similar to a set of variations, the main difference being
that only fragments of
the tune are heard at one time until the very end, where the tune
is heard in its entirety
for the first time.
Written in a symmetrical form with seven small conjoining
sections, the piece is
structured according to the progression of the hymn tune. The
material begins lyrically
but gradually becomes more diffuse. In the central panel the
music becomes
increasingly argumentative as fragments of the hymn tune are
juxtaposed against the
increasingly assertive accompanying textures. Here the
ambiguities of conflict do not
so much resolve as decide to co-exist as the tension dissipates.
Tonal ambiguities
persist even as we hear John Ireland's beautiful hymn stated in
its entirety for the first
time.
Work Details
Year: 2000
Instrumentation: Violin, viola, cello, piano.
Duration: 9 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Professional.
Commission note: Commissioned by Musica Viva Australia for performance by Australian Piano Quartet.. Composed in London as a part of a study trip, thanks to the Sir Charles Mackerras Scholarship.
First performance: by Australian Piano Quartet — 17 Aug 00. Llewelyn Hall, Canberra School of Music
Work revised November 2009.
Performances of this work
9 Sep 2012: at Selby & Friends (Elder Hall). Featuring Julian Smiles, Elizabeth Layton, Glen Donnelly, Kathryn Selby.
5 Sep 2012: at Selby & Friends (The Edge, Federation Square). Featuring Elizabeth Layton, Julian Smiles, Kathryn Selby, Glen Donnelly.
4 Sep 2012: at Selby & friends (City Recital Hall). Featuring Elizabeth Layton, Kathryn Selby, Julian Smiles, Glen Donnelly.
3 Sep 2012: at Selby & Friends (James O Fairfax Theatre). Featuring Elizabeth Layton, Julian Smiles, Kathryn Selby, Glen Donnelly.
2 Sep 2012: at Selby & Friends (Turramurra Uniting Church). Featuring Elizabeth Layton, Julian Smiles, Kathryn Selby, Glen Donnelly.
1 Sep 2012: at Selby & friends (Chevalier College Performing Arts Centre). Featuring Julian Smiles, Kathryn Selby, Elizabeth Layton, Glen Donnelly.
17 Aug 00: Llewelyn Hall, Canberra School of Music. Featuring Australian Piano Quartet.
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