David Alan Earnest
Home   Play MP3's   * Buy CDs * Downloads   News/Reviews/Timeline   Recordings   List of Works   * Upcoming * Performances   Photos   Videos   Contact  

Sinfonia Pastorale II - On the Leisurely Gait of Bovine

 
Credits
Lyric Credits:
Music Credits: David Alan Earnest (BMI)
Producer Credits:
Publisher Credits:
Performance Credits: Boise Baroque Orchestra - Daniel Stern, conductor
Label Credits:
Description
Short Song Description:
Premiere performance of the second movement of my little Sinfonia. 10/07
Long Song Description:
Story Behind the Song:
Metadata
Song Length:
4:28
Primary Genre:
Classical-Contemporary
Secondary Genre:
-
Lyrics
Program Notes

I've named all of the movements of my Sinfonia after composing them. And in naming them, imagined a sort of Till Eulenspiegel type character, who is dopey and innocent, traipsing through the woods.

The opening movement, "A Forest Adventure", is at a moderate tempo, and is probably the most "baroque" sounding movement of the three. Its structure is a simple ABA, with the internal sections of the A section being mixed around in the recapitulation for variety and closure. There are solos for violin, bassoon, horn, and oboe.

The second movement entitled "On the Leisurely Gait of Bovine" is in the place of the regular slow movement. It's in the form of a minuet, but is unusual in that it is in 5/8 and not the minuet's regular 3/4 time signature. Consequently its lopsided character reminded me of the mythological cows who live on the sides of hills and whose legs are shorter on one side, facilitating easier movement around the hill. The bass and cello melody at the beginning also influenced the title, with their lugubrious sounds.

The third movement "Sly Foxes, Trolls, and Other Distractions" is a compact Allegro in Bb major, also an ABA, the character of which reminded me of various delays that come upon our hero as he, eventually, completes his journey in safety.