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Score
Bird's Eye : a song cycle for alto voice with piano / Roxanne Della-Bosca.
Library shelf no. 783.67547/DEL 2 [Available for loan]
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Work Overview
This Song Cycle addresses the theme of poor public governance by justaposing three poems by Gwen Harwood.
I: Oyster Cove - Water birds witness the genocide of the Tasmanian Aborigines. The sonnet is recast in strophic form to reiterate the phrase, 'Dreams drip to stone'.
II: Barn Owl - A child steals his father's unsecured gun and shoots the barn owl.
III: Looking Towards Bruny - Tourists travel between Hobart and Bruny Island, oblivious to the history hidden beneath the waves. On the shore, '[s]ome creature has eaten crow and liked it.'
Expressively romantic (long lines, shaped melodic contours). Mainly stimulates the dark colours of the voice with some opportunities for operatic effects. Accompaniment very colouristic with a wide diversity of textures. Emotionally complex with political themes, requiring the narrative of the text to be clearly conveyed. Plenty of word painting in both voice and accompaniment. Some changing time signatures but generally stable. Chromatic sections remain tonally grounded with reasonable voice leading.
Work Details
Year: 2023
Instrumentation: Alto voice, piano.
Duration: 21 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Features poems that are often in Year 12 literature syllabus. Any of the movements would be suitable for Year 12 music extension exams.
Contents note: I. Oyster Cove (6:15min) -- II. Barn Owl (7-8 min) -- III. Looking Towards Bruny (7 min).
Dedication note: Dedicated to Rebecca Hart and Bradley Gilchrist.
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