Score
Puppet play in Java : for string orchestra / Betty Beath.
Library shelf no. 784.7/BEA 3 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Puppet Play in Java was inspired by memories I have of the music of Sunda, West Java and of the street musicians I often heard playing in Bandung and Jogjakarta. Often these street musicians would sing as they played and sometimes spontaneously move into dance. I loved these unexpected encounters which were part of the colourful life of Java and I sought to capture some of that relaxed and playful spirit in this work. Another particular influence was a poem ‘Genesis’ written by the late Javanese poet Subagio Sastrowardoyo (whose work I love). The poem has to do with the relationship between the puppet maker “who seldom speaks and lives far from the village” and his creation, a puppet “which looks exactly like him with a body, hands and two legs…” It is my hope that those who perform Puppet Play will, like the street musicians in Java sometimes sing as they play.
Work Details
Year: 2009
Instrumentation: String orchestra.
Duration: 3 min.
Difficulty: Medium — Good standard.
Dedication note: For the 1. Frauen-Kammerorchester von Osterreich
Commission note: Commissioned by Kati Maróthy Ratz, for the 1. Frauen-Kammerorchester von Osterreich
Subjects
- Inspired by: Asian culture
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