Mount Doane YNP

Anemone (vla, sop/alto sax, perc, and pn)

Anemone (completed September, 2000).  A fantasy piece for viola, soprano/alto saxophone, percussion, and piano.  Commissioned by Erika Eckert.  Performed September 26, 2000 by Erika Eckert (viola), Tom Myer (saxophones), Doug Walter (percussion), and Mutsumi Moteki (piano) in Grusin Music Hall at the University of Colorado at Boulder, September 26, 2000.  (apx. 14 min.)

Anemone is a genus or flower in the Buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family.  Unlike our usual understanding of flowers, Anemones have no petals, having colored sepals instead.  “The generic name is derived from the Greek word anemos, wind; the flowers supposedly opened at the command of the spring breezes.  American Indians used Anemone roots for treating wounds and attributed to them powerful healing qualities. They have little forage value being occasionally eaten by deer and elk.” (Peterson Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Flowers)

I decided on this title after the piece was nearly finished. These beautiful wildflowers, along with the mere sound of the name, conjure up images of wind and wilderness trails for me.  Indeed, as I was writing the piece the germinal images I used were those of being alone in the backcountry: the gamut of emotions one feels, sounds of wind, birds, sunlight in aspens, and the overall healing qualities of mountain wilderness.

Musically, the piece is influenced by classical Indian Raga, Japanese traditional music and my own eclectic western music background.   Special thanks to Professor Erika Eckert for commissioning the work, to the musicians for showing me some new and old techniques for their instruments, and to Drs. John Drumheller and Michael Theodore for their time, comments and assistance from the work’s inception to its completion.

Instrumentation

Viola

Soprano/Alto Saxophone

Percussion: Glockenspiel, Vibraphone,

2 Tam tams (large and medium),

1 large Cymbal, 2Woodblocks,

Snare Drum

Piano