Hear excerpts of this piece.
Composer: Bruce Hamilton
Instrumentation: 15 Instruments
(flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, 2 percussion, harp, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass)
Year Composed: 1997-1998
Duration: 15 minutes (3 movements)
Cost:
With Movements, for fifteen instrumentalists, my basic intent was
to compose short pieces with clear ideas and well-defined forms that could
fit together in a satisfying multi-movement structure.
The content (and title) of the work is strongly influenced by Stravinsky,
though Webern, Crumb, Ligeti, Reich, Fox, and O'Brien make casual
appearances as well.
dances is a "theme and variations" based on a dance-like melody.
Some variations are firmly rooted in one key while others are polytonal.
twine is a slow, mostly quiet piece with melodic fragments that
twist, connect, establish harmonies, and disappear.
undertow is dominated by two basic melodic ideas--a fast, rising
arpeggiated figure and a slow, stepwise descending line. The harmony is
derived from the melodic content and often provides a shifting, elastic
harmonic pull towards different tonal centers.
All three movements feature syncopated rhythms, flexible harmony, and an
emphasis on color and texture. Movements was written for the
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble who played the first performance in March
1998 under the direction of David Stock.