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Baltimore songlines

Sheet Music: Performance Parts

Baltimore songlines : for clarinet, violin and piano / Peter Sculthorpe.

by Peter Sculthorpe (2006)

  • Sales Availability: This item is not available to customers outside Australia and New Zealand.
    Please contact Faber Music for all sales enquiries.
  • Library Availability: This item is not available from the Australian Music Centre Library
  • Instrumentation: Clarinet, piano, violin.
  • Audio Sample

    Performance by Verdehr Trio from the CD Music from Down Under

N/A

This item is not available to customers outside Australia and New Zealand.
Please contact Faber Music for all sales enquiries.

Product details

During the 1990s, I began a series of works that incorporate material suggested by the indigenous music of northern Australia, together with Balinese gamelan-like figurations and bird-song. These works were inspired by Bruce Chatwin's book, Songlines. In it, Chatwin writes about the Aboriginal concept of totemic ancestors singing themselves into existence and journeying across the land with their songs. Dreamtracks and From Nourlangie, both written for the Verdehr Trio, are two of these works.


The present work was written especially for the Verdehr Trio, for first performance in the National Aquarium in Baltimore. An enormous replica of a river gorge, like those found in Australia's Northern Territory in Umbrawarra and Kakadu, has been built inside the aquarium. It houses freshwater crocodiles, long neck turtles, flying foxes and all the species of flora and fauna that exist in such gorges.
In one movement, the music of Baltimore Songlines, is self-explanatory. Apart from the opening, which is based upon an indigenous lullaby, all the material, especially the tumbling chant that follows the lullaby, was inspired by visits to the Northern Territory. Towards the end of the work, a section for solo piano suggests the music of the didjeridu, an instrument that has its origins in Australia's north.
I feel that Baltimore Songlines is the summation of my so-called 'Songlines period'. Unlike the other works in the series, some of its thematic material tends to recede over the course of the work, giving way to new ideas. In this way, I was able to suggest both journeying and the continual renewal of the natural world.

Published by: Australian Music Centre (under licence from Faber Music) — 1 set of 3 performance parts (39p. -- B4 (portrait))

Duration: 16 mins, 30 sec.

Dedicated to Verdehr Trio

Commission info: Commissioned by the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C., the Baltimore Aquarium, and Michigan State University

First performance by Verdehr Trio — 26 Oct 06. Baltimore Aquarium, Baltimore, USA

The piano part in this set is a copy of the full score.

Typeset edition.

Related products

This work is also available in the following products:

Baltimore songlines
Score: Baltimore songlines : for clarinet, violin & piano / Peter Sculthorpe.

Music from Down Under
CD: Music from Down Under / the Verder Trio

 

- Browse other works published by Australian Music Centre (under licence from Faber Music)

- Browse other works for Trios: Clarinet, piano, violin

- Browse other works by Peter Sculthorpe


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