Quadtych

QUADTYCH for violoncello and piano was composed for the 2015 Thor Johnson Commission sponsored by the Delta Omicron Foundation, Inc. The work was premiered by cellist Adriana La Rosa Ransom and pianist Tuyen Tonnu. The title "Quadtych" is a photographer's term for a set of four images. Each of the four movements provide different mental images, and while there are connections among the movements, each has its own harmonic language and overall "feel." The work is basically tonal, but not always in ways one expects. The first movement, Allegro, begins with the cello and piano quietly sharing the main idea in unison and octaves before moving on. The basic structure is A B A'. The composer writes this about the second movement: "In proposing this work to the Delta Omicron Foundatioln, I suggested incorporating a musical reference to Thor Johnson for whom the commission is named. In my research I discovered much about Johnson's conducting career as well as his connections to both Delta Omicron and the music of the Moravian Church. Further research guided me to concerts he instituted of early American music, including works by Moravian-Americans like Johann F. Peter (1746-1813). With permission and the encouragement of the Moravian Music Foundation, Inc., I selected the theme of the second movement of Peter's String Quintet No. 3. The music isn't quoted verbatim, but it's the starting point for my own composition. The form and harmonic language are different from the original. It begins with the pianist accompanying the cello with the right hand alone, lending the music a somewhat ethereal quality. The third movement, Spirito, is a scherzo, or "joke" in Italian, but no joke is intended. The slow final movement, Adagio, is an unabashed lush ballad with traces of French impressionism and even a bit of jazz informing the harmonies.