Riturnelli, Libro Primo – Gli Montanardi (2014)

One can hear this composition as vocal music without a singer, to be performed by musicians and dancers. I found inspiration in music that I love: vocal music from various parts of the world. For this work, the inspiration came mainly from music from around the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian subcontinent, and also Baroque music from various parts of Europe, especially from Southern Europe. Three different ways of singing served as models: aria (song), various kinds of recitative, and dances that include singers. The saxophone and the flute speak and sing – sometimes together as one voice, and sometimes as two voices. The guitar plays mainly accompaniment but at times it joins the other two instruments in singing or speaking.

The title refers to the ritornelli of, for example, the Concerti Grossi. I do not state explicitly what or who the returning entities can be. The title also contains a suggestion of the word ‘ritus’, making these pieces ‘Rites for Returning’. Gli Montanardi is my ‘Italianisation’ of the name of the Duo Montagnard (Joe Murphy, saxophone and Matt Slotkin, Guitar) for whom I wrote this composition.

1. Recitativo 1 (c. 1’50”)
2. Danza Piccola (c. 1’40”)
3. Aria 1: Saligingdidi (c. 4’45”)
4. Danza Svelta (c. 3’40”)
5. Recitativo 2 (c. 3’30”)
6. Aria 2: Rangjibhingdidi Saligingdiding (c. 7’00”)
7. Danza Lenta (c. 1’40”)

Total duration c. 23 minutes