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Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School

2016

An Exploration of Late Twentieth CenturyAmerican Flute and Guitar Works withEmphasis on Robert Beaser’s MountainSongs and Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata forFlute and GuitarAmanda M. Taylor

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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF MUSIC

AN EXPLORATION OF LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN FLUTE AND

GUITAR WORKS WITH EMPHASIS ON ROBERT BEASER’S MOUNTAIN SONGS AND

LOWELL LIEBERMANN’S SONATA FOR FLUTE AND GUITAR

By

AMANDA M. TAYLOR

A Treatise submitted to the College of Music

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Music

2016

ii

Amanda Taylor defended this treatise on November 2, 2016.

The members of the supervisory committee were:

Eva Amsler

Professor Directing Treatise

Evan Jones

University Representative

Jeffrey Keesecker

Committee Member

Eric Ohlsson

Committee Member

The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and

certifies that the treatise has been approved in accordance with university requirements.

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For my parents: Paul & Darlene Taylor

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am indebted to several people for their support while finishing my studies. First and

foremost, I would like to thank my graduate committee for their guidance and constructive

feedback during my final semesters at Florida State University. Thank you to Justin for your

encouragement, wisdom, and love. I would like to give my utmost gratitude to Eva Amsler for

helping me become the musician and person I am today. Thank you for your patience and

kindness throughout my apprenticeship.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Musical Examples .............................................................................................................. vi Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 2. THE LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN FLUTE AND GUITAR DUO ..............3 3. AMERICAN VERNACULAR SONG: ROBERT BEASER’S MOUNTAIN

SONGS .............................................................................................................................................9 4. AMERICAN ART MUSIC: LOWELL LIEBERMANN’S SONATA FOR FLUTE AND

GUITAR ...................................................................................................................................29 5. CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................................41 APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................43 A. COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR ROBERT BEASER’S MOUNTAIN SONGS ..................43 B. COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR LOWELL LIEBERMANN’S SONATA FOR FLUTE AND GUITAR ...............................................................................................................................45 References ......................................................................................................................................46 Biographical Sketch .......................................................................................................................49

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LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 2.1 Ibert: Entr’acte, mm. 87–95 .......................................................................................3 Example 3.1 “Barbara Allen,” mm. 23–31 ....................................................................................13 Example 3.2 “Barbara Allen,” mm. 40–42 ....................................................................................14 Example 3.3 “The House Carpenter,” E Mixolydian and Dorian comparison ..............................15 Example 3.4 “The House Carpenter,” mm. 30–66 ........................................................................16 Example 3.5 “The House Carpenter,” mm. 38–40 ........................................................................16 Example 3.6 “He’s Gone Away,” mm. 49–55 ...............................................................................18 Example 3.7 “Hush You Bye,” mm. 1–4 .......................................................................................19 Example 3.8 “Hush You Bye,” mm. 26–29 ...................................................................................19 Example 3.9 “Cindy,” mm. 66–69 .................................................................................................22 Example 3.10 “The Cuckoo,” mm. 12–14 .....................................................................................23 Example 3.11 “The Cuckoo,” m. 42 ..............................................................................................24 Example 3.12 “Fair and Tender Ladies,” mm. 24–25 ...................................................................26 Example 3.13 “Fair and Tender Ladies,” mm. 1–3 .......................................................................26 Example 4.1 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, form graphic representation .......................32 Example 4.2 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 1–2 .....................................................32 Example 4.3 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 24–27 .................................................33 Example 4.4 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 30–33 .................................................34 Example 4.5 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 79–86 .................................................35 Example 4.6 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, form graphic representation ..........................36 Example 4.7 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 1–3 ........................................................36 Example 4.8 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 30–32 ....................................................37

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Example 4.9 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 48–53 ....................................................38 Example 4.10 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 78–83 ..................................................39

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ABSTRACT

A number of important flute and guitar compositions were written by American composers

during the late twentieth century. These works have yet to be explored in any academic study.

This treatise, in conjunction with two lecture recitals, presents relevant compositional analysis

and historical information of six American flute and guitar compositions.

Two compositions, Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs and Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata

for Flute and Guitar, will be analyzed in detail in separate chapters. Other works to be discussed

include Joan Tower’s Snow Dreams, Katherine Hoover’s Canyon Echoes, Libby Larsen’s Blue

Third Pieces, and George Rochberg’s Muse of Fire.

American composers have significantly contributed to the body of literature for the flute

and guitar. Furthermore, the compositions in this study have contributed to a trend an equal

distribution of thematic material between the flute and guitar. Although current research shows

this trend began in the late 1980s with the appearance of Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango for

flute and guitar in 1986, this treatise points to pieces written prior to this time.

The primary goal of this study is to bring awareness to late twentieth century American

flute and guitar compositions. The pieces highlighted are colorful examples of American

composers’ contribution to the rise of the flute and guitar duo in the late twentieth century.

Perhaps the most important conclusion, however, is that the flute and guitar duo has, and

continues to be, a credible chamber group with a diverse, exciting repertoire for its performers.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

All of the compositions presented in this treatise support the argument that American

composers have significantly contributed to the flute and guitar ensemble body of repertoire. A

foundation of this paper, as examined in the conclusions of Chapters 3 and 4, is that the

compositions are evidence of an equal distribution of parts between the instruments. A

dissertation published in the fall of 2015 by Lisa Schroeder was especially helpful to the author’s

research because it outlined significant milestones in the last thirty years that were important to

the equal distribution of melodic and thematic roles between the flute and guitar. Her

dissertation, entitled “The Flute and Guitar Duo: The Development of an Equal Partnership,”

surveyed forty-eight flute and guitar duos about their thoughts on repertoire, performance

practice, and other important topics.1

The analysis in this treatise presents compositional elements alongside relevant

information about each work. Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs, the first work to be discussed in

depth in Chapter 3, features American vernacular song, specifically Appalachian folk song.

Beaser’s setting for flute and guitar is appropriate because many of the original songs are often

performed by a stringed instrument and female voice. Traditional settings of the songs are

simple, but Beaser skillfully transforms the songs by expanding their original melodic and

harmonic content. He writes expressive extended techniques for the flute and guitar, and creates

unique timbres through articulation and dynamics. This study explores each of the eight songs in

Mountain Songs according to Beaser’s transformation.

Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar is representative of the composer’s

musical style. As explored in Chapter 4, his style is often characterized by tonal harmonies,

sustained melody, and traditional formal arrangements found in music of the Romantic and

Classical era. Most of all, Liebermann’s style is defined by his ability to connect with audiences.

The Sonata for Flute and Guitar features prominent tonal harmonies, complex rhythmic and

metric interplay, and meticulous orchestration.

1 Lisa Marie Schroeder, “The Flute and Guitar Duo: The Development of an Equal Partnership” (D.M.A. diss., University of Iowa, 2015).

2

The two lecture recitals presented in Spring and Fall of 2016 in conjunction with this

treatise, are significant because it is the first to explore American flute and guitar compositions to

date. The goal is two-fold: The first is to bring awareness to late twentieth century flute and

guitar works by American composers. The second is to identify and analyze two of these

compositions in depth: Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs and Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata for

Flute and Guitar.

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CHAPTER 2

THE LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN FLUTE

AND GUITAR DUO

This chapter identifies six compositions written for the flute and guitar duo and highlights

important features of each. Though all were written within a span of twenty years, they feature

variety of sound, narrative, and context.

Despite their differences, all of the compositions share one commonality: an equal

distribution of thematic roles between instruments. Equality between the flute and guitar began

to develop in the early 1980s. Before this time, most music for the duo featured the guitar in a

mostly accompanimental role while the flute carried the melody.

Only a few works are exceptions to this featuring the guitar in a more prominent role,

including Mauro Giuliani’s Gran Duetto Concertante written in 1817. Gran Duetto Concertante

is perhaps the only piece before the late twentieth century that breaks from this mold.2 An

example of the predominant writing style for the flute and guitar before the late twentieth century

is the frequently programmed piece by French composer Jacques Ibert, Entr’acte, composed in

1935.

Example 2.1 Ibert: Entr’acte, mm. 87–95

2 Lisa Marie Schroeder, “The Flute and Guitar Duo: The Development of an Equal Partnership,” 11.

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The guitar is quite sparse and serves only as an accompaniment to the flute. Lisa Schroeder’s

2015 dissertation entitled “The Flute and Guitar Duo: The Development of an Equal

Partnership,” discusses the development of equality in parts between the flute and guitar duo

throughout the past two centuries.3

Her dissertation identifies Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango for flute and guitar,

written in 1986, as the definitive turning point for an “equal partnership.” From the author’s

point of view, however, that Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs, composed in 1984, and a few

other pieces composed before Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango, mark the equal distribution of roles

to a slightly earlier date, specifically around the beginning of the 1980’s. Earlier compositions

include Joan Tower’s Snow Dreams, written in 1983, and Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu’s

Toward the Sea, written in 1981. These pieces are some of the first that feature the flute and

guitar in an equal distribution of parts in terms of thematic roles and difficulty.

It is not clear why the instruments began sharing thematic and accompanimental roles,

but it can be heard throughout the early to late 1980s. There are several correlations that should

be noted as possible reasons the guitar and flute duo have become more equal partners. The first

is the evolution of instrument construction, in particular the guitar. During the early twentieth

century, luthiers began making the instrument with bigger bodies that ultimately produced more

sound.4 Second is the important role the guitar has had in popular music, especially in the United

States as heard in genres such as rock, folk music, and jazz. This might have sparked interest in

the versatility of the instrument, especially in a leadership role. The third correlation is that

writing for the flute and for the guitar became easier because of the standardization of

composition methods for both instruments.

That being said, composing for the guitar has always been, and continues to be, a

challenge. In an interview, composer Lowell Liebermann says,

I think guitar is probably the most difficult instrument to write for if you don’t actually play it yourself. With guitar, you’re dealing with an odd tuning and different hand positions. The funny thing is, every guitarist you speak to will tell you a different thing as

3 Lisa Marie Schroeder, “The Flute and Guitar Duo: The Development of an Equal Partnership” (D.M.A. diss., University of Iowa, 2015). 4 Harvey Turnbull, The Guitar, from the Renaissance to the Present Day (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1974), 80-81.

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to whether a certain passage is playable or not. For me it was a very difficult instrument to conceptualize in terms of fingering.5

Another prominent American composer, Aaron J. Kernis, shares Liebermann’s sentiment.

Though Kernis, who is on the faculty of the Yale School of Music, has written several

compositions for the guitar, he never feels completely comfortable writing for the instrument.

“I’ll tell you the truth, every time I start writing for the guitar, it’s like I’ve never done it

before.”6

Despite the difficulty of writing for the guitar, several composers have taken the

challenge, and continue to take the challenge, of writing music for the the instrument. Composers

often rely on the expertise of a professional guitarist. For example, the composer Robert Beaser,

a leading composer for the guitar, has collaborated with longtime friend and guitarist Eliot Fisk.7

Fisk is a world-class performer and teaches at the New England Conservatory in Boston,

Massachusetts. Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar was also composed for Eliot

Fisk and features the guitar in a predominant role.

Several women have also composed works for the flute and guitar. The emergence of

American women composers such as Joan Tower, Libby Larsen, and Katherine Hoover in late

twentieth century signals a significant shift in gender roles in the past fifty years. All three

women have been recognized as leaders in the composition world. Joan Tower received several

accolades including becoming the first woman to win a Grawemeyer Award in 1990. Larsen is

also a Grammy-award winning composer with more than fifty albums to her name. Katherine

Hoover is a recipient of the National Endowment Composer’s Fellowship and has won the

National Flute Association’s Newly Published Music Competition.

The following summary of late twentieth century flute and guitar works briefly highlights

important compositions that have contributed to the genre. Each piece is written by an American

composer and can be described as classical “art” music. Particular interest was given to pieces

that focused on American vernacular styles such as folk song, jazz, or were influenced by the

native music of North America.

5 Lisa Garner, “Lowell Liebermann: A Stylistic Analysis,” 13. 6 Jim Tosone, Classical Guitarists: Conversations (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2000), 26. 7 Robert Beaser, interview, March 28, 2016.

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Joan Tower’s Snow Dreams (1983)

Similar to Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Joan Tower’s Snow Dreams can be

categorized as traditional classical art music. Snow Dreams is characterized by perpetual

rhythmic motives, angular harmonies, and powerful thematic writing. Tower draws upon extra-

musical connections for inspiration in Snow Dreams.

There are many different images of snow, its forms and its movements. Light snow flakes, pockets of swirls of snow, round drifts, long white plains of blankets of snow, light and heavy snowfalls, and so forth. Many of these images can be found in the piece if, in fact, they need to be found at all. The listener will determine that choice.8

Dr. Denise Von Glahn describes Tower’s musical style as being highly expressive and

embracing lyricism and drama.9 Snow Dreams is one of the most virtuosic pieces written for the

flute and guitar. Most of all, the piece is extremely geometric and angular. The flute and guitar

have repeated articulated figures that are either in unison or as an echo of each other. Of all the

pieces discussed in this chapter, Snow Dreams breaks from the traditional flute and guitar roles

of accompaniment and melodic instrumentation. Instead, Tower exploits the soloistic capabilities

of both instruments and pairs them together as a study of timbre, texture, and articulation.

Katherine Hoover’s Canyon Echoes (1991)

Katherine Hoover’s Canyon Echoes is inspired by an Apache Native American Folklore. Hoover

draws inspiration from Michael Lacapa’s interpretation of an Apache folklore legend recounted

in his book The Flute Player.

It is the story of two young Apaches from different areas of a large canyon, where the streams ripple and the wind sings in the cottonwoods. They meet at a Hoop Dance, and dance only with each other…. 10

As in many of Hoover’s compositions, there is a story that guides the listener. Canyon

Echoes draws on the natural beauty of the American landscape while paying homage to the

Apaches. Through her traditional classical composition styles she explores traditional Native

8 Denise Von Glahn, Music and the Skillful Listener: American Women Compose the Natural World (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2013), 169. 9 Ibid, 161. 10 Katherine Hoover, Canyon Echoes: Flute & Guitar (New York, NY: Papagena Press, 1991).

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American sounds, including compelling motives, timbres, and harmonies. Canyon Echoes uses

nonfunctional harmonies or pitch relationships. Cathy Hicks, in her dissertation “Soloistic Flute

Music by Katherine Hoover” analyzes Canyon Echoes using pitch class sets.11 Hoover also

employs several extended techniques in both the flute and guitar.

Throughout Canyon Echoes, the flute and guitar are extremely conversational, as heard in

the third movement “She Mourns.” The instruments trade short motives that are rarely heard

together. The opening of the fourth and final movement, “He Returns,” a steady ostinato figure is

heard in the guitar. As in several of her solo flute works, Hoover creates interesting musical

shapes using distinct motives that are often inspired by spontaneity and freedom.

George Rochberg, Muse of Fire (1991)

George Rochberg (1918–2005) was a prolific twentieth century American composer. He wrote

several substantial works for the guitar, including a chamber piece entitled Muse of Fire for the

flute and guitar. The piece was commissioned by Paula Robison and Eliot Fisk and premiered in

Carnegie Hall. Rochberg was known for his abrupt exit from the avant-garde in the 1970s to a

musical style that featured tonality and expressive lines.12 Several of his pieces feature musical

borrowing of American songs from the early twentieth century, most notably in his solo guitar

piece American Bouquet.13

Muse of Fire is named after the opening line of Shakespeare’s play Henry V. 14 The piece

is almost twenty minutes long—possibly the longest one movement work for the flute and guitar

duo. Though Muse of Fire is only one movement, it features several contrasting sections that

keep the listener engaged. One of the key features is Rochberg’s placement of the flute and

guitar in their extremes in range, dynamic level, and articulation. The guitar plays strong chordal

passages that are offset by fast, arpeggiated patterns. The long, sweeping melodic figures in the

flute are often written in the top octave and at the loudest dynamic level. Rochberg offsets sharp

dissonances of the guitar and sustained melodies in the flute. Overall, Muse of Fire depicts

Shakespeare’s tragedy through musical contrasts and extremes.15

11 Cathy Hancock Hicks, “Soloistic Flute Music by Katherine Hoover,” 33. 12 “George Rochberg, Composer, Dies at 86,” New York Times, June 1, 2005, accessed June 13, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/01/arts/music/george-rochberg-composer-dies-at-86.html?_r=0. 13 Matthew Cochran, “A Proper Vernacular: George Rochberg’s American Bouquet (Versions of Popular Music).” 14 George Rochberg, Muse of Fire: For Flute and Guitar (Bryn Mawr, PA: Presser, 1991). 15 Ibid.

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Libby Larsen’s Blue Third Pieces (2000)

Several of Larsen’s pieces are heavily influenced by American music, especially the “sounds and

rhythms of language.”16 Similar to Beaser’s Mountain Songs, the basis for each of the two

movements in Blue Third Pieces is taken from American vernacular song. Larsen writes:

Blue Third Pieces for treble wind and guitar is a little homage to the interval of the third and its place in the blues. The first piece, Deep Blue, is quiet and lyrical, beginning with a chorale-like motive. Its melody emphasizes the blue third in its lower notes. The title of the second movement is taken from the 1945 jazz piece Salt Peanuts by Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clark, which feature the famous “salt peanuts”...17

The first movement, “Deep Blue,” features long flowing lines in the flute and intricate

harmonies in the guitar. The flute is featured as a melodic instrument, but the guitar frequently

interjects colorful harmonies. The second movement of Blue Third Pieces, “Salt Peanuts” is

potentially difficult for traditional classical players who are not well-versed in jazz. Larsen is

able to transform a standard jazz tune by Dizzy Gillespie into a work classically-trained

musicians. She does this through exaggerating the tune’s famous syncopated rhythm and also the

downward falling leap. Each instrument has fast-moving parts that rely on each other for

intensity. Larsen writes several instances where the flute and guitar play in rhythmic unison,

creating a unique timbre.

Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs (1985) and Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and

Guitar (1989)

Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs and Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar are

substantial late twentieth century compositions for the flute and guitar duo that represent the

ensemble’s body of works during this time. Mountain Songs is based on traditional Appalachian

folk song. Beaser skillfully transforms traditional American folk song into a substantial chamber

work for flute and guitar. Lowell Liebermann, a prominent American composer, writes in his

own compositional style to create a bold, challenging work for the flute and guitar. The

following two chapters in this treatise with explore both compositions in more detail.

16 Libby Larsen, Blue Third Pieces (Oxford University Press, 1996). 17 Ibid.

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CHAPTER 3

AMERICAN VERNACULAR SONG: ROBERT BEASER’S

MOUNTAIN SONGS

Biographical Sketch of Robert Beaser

Robert Beaser is currently the head of the composition department at The Juilliard School. He

has won several awards including the Prix de Rome, an Academy Award, and both Guggenheim

and Fulbright fellowships. He received a Grammy nomination for a recording of Mountain Songs

in 1986. Beaser has been commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago and St.

Louis Symphonies, the New York City Opera and the American Composers Orchestra.18

While studying in Rome in the 1970s, Beaser began to fully develop his compositional

style. He was not interested in writing music that was abstract, or music with little or no context.

Beaser describes his overall musical style as being influenced heavily by narrative. He uses what

he calls “musical identities” to convey meaning in his compositions.19 Musical identities,

whether from a folk song or a musical motive, are an idea that people can hear then follow

throughout the piece. Beaser describes, in broad terms, that his music uses tonality in explicit

ways, but it is not always functional. On the surface his music seems simple, but upon further

investigation, it is quite complex. Because his music nods to tonality, several critics have

included him in the “New Tonalists” movement, but Beaser does not adopt this categorization to

describe his compositional style.20

Introduction to Mountain Songs

Mountain Songs was commissioned in 1984 by flutist Paula Robison and guitarist Eliot Fisk. It

was published and premiered in 1985. A revised edition, which includes a few minor edits, was

released in 2014. Robison and Fisk are active performers, and teach at the New England

Conservatory in Boston.

18 “Schott Music - Robert Beaser - Profile,” Schott Music, accessed March 5, 2016, http://www.schott-music.com/shop/persons/featured/robert-beaser/. 19 Robert Beaser, telephone interview by author, March 28, 2016. 20 Ibid.

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Before composing Mountain Songs, Beaser was given a copy of Alan Lomax’s book,

North American Folk Music by Paula robison. He also researched the songs himself and gathered

over a dozen books of various folk songs. Beaser made an effort not to take the exact settings of

the songs. Instead, he chose to take the essence of the tune, gather the lyrics, and then compose a

completely new composition inspired by the original folk song.21 In the Introduction of Mountain

Songs, Robert Beaser writes

Mountain Songs is a cycle of eight songs based largely on American folk music. Most of the tunes, as reflected by their titles, are lyric ballads from the southern mountains of Appalachia …While the cycle is based on folk material, each song is original and through-composed.22 Folk music, including American folk music, has a few common features. Many have

simple melodies built on pentatonic or modal scales. Most are strophic and have several verses.

This is because simple repeated melodies are a great way to tell a story. Consequently, almost all

folk songs have a compelling narrative that has been passed down for several decades.

Although Beaser’s Mountain Songs are based on American folk tunes, their stories and

melodies were inherited from seventeenth century lyric ballads from Scotland, Ireland, and

England. The ballads would eventually blend with several American styles of music, such as

hymns, minstrel show tunes, and African American blues, and evolve into something new—

American folk song. Because these songs are mostly passed down orally, several folk songs have

multiple versions.23

In recent years, thousands of folk songs were documented by Alan Lomax an

ethnomusicologist. Lomax and his father spent their careers recording thousands of folk songs

from around the world. Alan Lomax compiled and published more than half a dozen substantial

folk song collections. Moreover, all of his recorded media can be found online through the

Lomax archives.24

21 Robert Beaser, interview, March 28, 2016. 22 Robert Beaser, Mountain Songs: For Flute and Guitar (S.l., U.S.A.: Helicon Music, 1984). 23 Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America: In the English Language (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1960), xxi. 24 The Association for Cultural Equality, Lomax Research Center, accessed March 11, 2016, http://research.culturalequity.org/home-audio.jsp.

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By comparing the original song to Beaser’s setting, this chapter will explore how Robert

Beaser transforms traditional American folk song into a contemporary classical chamber work

for flute and guitar. Though Beaser “treats” each movement differently, he is able to expand all

of the songs because he is writing for flute instead of voice.25 This has its advantages, but in

order to tell each song’s story, Beaser must express the underlying text through music alone.

When asked how he approached writing for flute instead of voice, Beaser said he did not want to

abstract the original songs, but to transform the music to embody the meaning of the underlying

text. Overall, he said, writing for flute instead of voice allowed him more “flexibility” for

composing a wholly new piece.26

“Barbara Allen”

“Barbara Allen” is one of the oldest folk songs, dating back to seveenth century Scotland. The

first written record of the song is on January 2, 1666, by Samuel Pepys in his diary.27 Since then,

“Barbara Allen” has survived because of broadside readers. 28 Broadside Readers were printed

publications that were sold during the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries. They were a source of

stories, news, and song.29 The story of “Barbara Allen,” is of young man who is desperately in

love with a young lady named Barbara Allen. She does not love him back. The young man, who

is on his deathbed, asks for Barbara Allen to visit one last time. She turns down his offer and the

young man dies soon after. Barbara Allen realizes she has made a mistake and is completely

heartbroken. She is in so much pain that she dies the following day.

There are several versions of “Barbara Allen” from the past 100 years. Popular folk

singers such as Joan Baez and Pete Seeger have recorded their own renditions. Alan Lomax

recorded several versions of “Barbara Allen” from around the world that can be accessed online

through the Lomax archives.30

Transformation. Beaser transforms this simple song in several ways. The first is that he

presents four different variations of the melody. Three of the four variations are introduced by

25 Robert Beaser, interview, March 28, 2016. 26 Ibid. 27 Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America, 170. 28 Ibid, 171. 29 Ibid. 30 The Association for Cultural Equality, Lomax Research Center.

12

the guitar and all are set in the key of G major. Each variation is independent and fully expresses

the original tune.

The first variation is introduced by solo guitar and is the most similar to the original. The

tempo is marked quarter note = 48, and features a short rubato section that emphasizes the half

cadence in measure 4. Many recorded versions of the original song are sung at a much faster

tempo. Alan Lomax’s transcription of “Barbara Allen” in Folk Songs of North America has the

tempo marking at quarter note = 176.31 Beaser’s version eventually gains momentum, but it still

remains much slower than the original. This slow setting creates a solemn feeling, perhaps

referencing Barbara Allen’s mourning over her lost lover.

The second variation is introduced by the solo flute in measure 8. As indicated in the

score, the flutist is to move slightly more ahead. This version is more ornamented than the first,

with grace notes and passing tones. The third variation, introduced by guitar in measure 15, is

similar to the first variation, but Beaser adds more ornamentation and changes the second part of

the phrase. The meter also changes several times in this variation, shifting from triple to duple

time.

The fourth and final variation is introduced by the guitar in measure 23. It is highly

ornamented and similar to the third variation in that it has several meter changes. The guitar also

sustains its highest pitches of the melody. With each new variation, Beaser adds more

complexity through ornamentation, metric changes, and by using a wider range of both

instruments. Once the first three variations have been introduced, Beaser stacks them on top of

each other, creating a heterophonic setting as seen in Example 3.1.

31 Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America, 183.

13

Example 3.1 “Barbara Allen,” mm. 23–31

Beaser repeats the second variation in the flute, while simultaneously introducing the

fourth variation in the guitar. The melodies are moving in the same direction, but by stacking

different variations of the tune, Beaser creates an interesting texture.

Beaser also transforms the original folk song by using a variety of special effects in the

flute and guitar. He creates different articulations and timbres by writing extended techniques.

One example is of the quarter tone pitch variations on the flute. In Paula Robison’s video guide

to Mountain Songs, she identifies these quarter tone variations as Barbara Allen’s mourning once

she finds her love has passed.32

The guitar’s percussive effects, including tambour, transforms the original song.

Tambour is the techniqe of hitting the strings of the guitar instead of plucking, creating a

percussive-like articulation. “Barbara Allen” closes with a resounding tambour strike on a

colorful E minor 11th chord.

32 Paula Robison, “Flutings with Paula Robison,” Paula Robison, The Official Site, accessed March 11, 2016, http://paularobison.com/flutings-with-paula/.

14

Example 3.2 “Barbara Allen,” mm. 40–42

Up until this point, the movement has been in the relative major. The distinctive minor

chord that closes “Barbara Allen” alludes to the sad fate of the young couple.

“The House Carpenter”

Similar to “Barbara Allen,” “The House Carpenter” is based on a lyric ballad with a long history.

The original song was first published in a broadside reader in 1685. Before that, it had a long oral

tradition.33 It continues to be a popular song as several modern day folk singers have performed

their version of the folk tune. The story is of a young lady who is approached by a sailor who has

just returned from sea. He was once her lover, but had disappeared for several years and was

thought to be dead, so she married a house carpenter. The sailor begs the young lady to leave her

family to travel the sea with him. They argue, but she gives in, and they go on their way. She

soon realizes she’s made a mistake. Her grief is shortened by an unexpected turn of events as

their ship sinks. She and the sailor are lost at sea forever.

Transformation. Beaser transforms “The House Carpenter” in a number of ways. First,

he adds syncopation to the melodic line. The Lomax transcription of “The House Carpenter,”

features the original song in a strict four pattern with no syncopation. Beaser’s version of the

song sets the flute melody with accented syncopation. Since there is no sung text, he is able to

add different articulations and ornaments to express the syncopated melody.

The underlying accompaniment pattern in the guitar also adds intensity. Beaser refers to

this as the “Erlkönig” accompaniment, referencing Franz Schubert’s 1815 song and its

33 Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America, 169.

15

narrative.34 In this instance, the accompaniment heard in the guitar symbolizes the bumpy sea

voyage of the sailor and the young lady—similar to Schubert’s dipiction through music of a

terrifying horse ride shared by a little boy and his abductor, the Elf King. In both narratives, the

Erlkönig accompanimental figure represents a the impending fate of the little boy and young

lady. By adding syncopation in the flute and the Erlkönig accompaniment in the guitar, Beaser is

able to express the underlying meaning of the story through music.

In addition to adding forward momentum, Beaser transforms the original song by adding

modal mixture. Though he sets his version of “The House Carpenter” in its original mode of E

Mixolydian, he skillfully intertwines E Dorian throughout. When the two modes are compared,

the difference is that Dorian mode features a minor third. This interplay between Mixolydian and

Dorian, therefore creates a major and minor interplay.

Example 3.3 “The House Carpenter,” E Mixolydian and Dorian comparison

The constant shifts between G and G#, or the major and minor interplay, creates what

Beaser calls a “dark and light” affect in the movement.35 The most apparent example of this is in

the opening flute melody, but Beaser uses this effect several times throughout the movement. In

several instances, the dark and light interplay symbolizes the dialogue between the sailor and the

house carpenter’s wife. Though the lyrics and the story are from the sailor’s perspective, Beaser

is able to portray the young lady’s voice through non-vocal music.

The house carpenter’s wife’s voice is characterized by the Mixolydian mode in the flute

and guitar, creating a predominately major sound. The flute is also instructed to play dolce,

singing, and with vibrato. The melody is also in a higher range of the flute, which creates a

brilliant effect. The guitar’s accompanimental figure shifts from the Erlkönig pattern, to gentle

arpeggios. Example 3.4 illustrates the house carpenter’s wife’s voice.

34 Robert Beaser, interview, March 28, 2016. 35 Ibid.

16

Example 3.4 “The House Carpenter,” mm. 30–66

The sailor’s voice is heard at the opening of the song. It is characterized by a darker flute

tone in the low register, no vibrato, and the Erlkönig accompaniment figure in the guitar.

Throughout the movement, Beaser gives specific musical indications to portray the sailor’s

voice, such as “darkly” or “agitato.”

The final transformation of the original song comes with the addition of a completely

new melody. Beaser seamlessly transitions from preexisting material to new material during the

climax of the piece. In this section, the flute is at its loudest dynamic, while the guitar is playing

Bartók pizzicatos. The Bartók pizzicato, as seen in Example 3.5, is a way of pulling, then

releasing the strings on the instrument to create a percussive effect.

Example 3.5 “The House Carpenter,” mm. 38–40

17

This climatic new melody symbolizes the turning point between the sailor and the house

carpenter’s wife. Shortly after the climax, the melody and guitar accompaniment fades into the

distance just like a ship sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

Beaser’s setting of the “The House Carpenter” expands the original setting by adding

strong syncopated passages, thumping accompaniment figures, and an exciting dialogue between

the sailor and the house carpenter’s wife.

“He’s Gone Away”

“He’s Gone Away,” the third song from Beaser’s Mountain Songs, is a traditional folk tune from

the Appalachian region. Though its exact origins are unknown, the melody may have been taken

from an English ballad from the seventeenth century. Many associate “He’s Gone Away” with

the separation of two lovers due to war. The story is best heard through the lyrics:

He’s goin’ away for to stay a little while,

But he’s comin’ back if I go ten thousand miles.

Oh, who will tie my shoe?

And who will glove my hand?

And who will kiss my ruby lips when he’s gone?36

Several musicians have recorded this folk song over the years including the popular

singer Jo Stafford and jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. There are also several choral arrangements of

“He’s Gone Away” and it is often paired with another popular folk song entitled “Shenandoah.”

Transformation. Beaser keeps the strophic setting, but expands the song by adding a

completely new, lively middle section. The opening verse is based on the first six notes of G

Mixolydian, but the appearance of F sharp at the entrance of the second verse in measure 27

shifts the tonality to G Major. Both the shift in tonality and leap of the octave in the flute part

illustrate how the young lady has found hope that her lover will return.

Measure 39 is the start of an extended conversation between flute and guitar based on the

“look away motive.” Beaser uses this motive to seamlessly bridge old and new material. The

look away motive is comprised of three notes, and is repeated several times in just a few

36 Jo Stafford et al., writers, Jo Stafford, Capitol, 1991, CD.

18

measures. Finally, the guitar initiates an upbeat accompaniment figure based off this “look

away” motive in measure 55.

Example 3.6 “He’s Gone Away,” mm. 49–55

This sparks a dance-like middle section that assures the listener that the young lady has

found hope that her lover will return. Beaser is able to illustrate her joy in this middle section

through music. The look away motive eventually winds down, and the original haunting melody

returns.

Compared to the other movements in Beaser’s Mountain Songs, “He’s Gone Away” is

the most lyrical. Beaser is able to transform the original song by adding an entirely new middle

section that draws on the “look away” motive. By using music alone, this dance-like section

portrays the young lady’s hope for her lover’s return.

“Hush You Bye”

“Hush You Bye” or also known as “All the Pretty Little Horses” is a traditional lullaby sung by

women to send their children into sleep. Its exact origins are unknown, but the lullaby has a long

history in the southern states of the United States. “Hush You Bye” is considered one of the most

characteristic of the genre, and can be best understood through its lyrics: 37

Hush-you-bye, Don’t-you-cry

Go to sleepy, little baby,

When you wake,

You shall have cake,

An’ drive those pretty little horses.38

37 Alan Lomax and Elizabeth Poston, The Penguin Book of American Folk Songs (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1964), 57. 38 Ibid, 59.

19

Several modern singers have performed their reindition of “Hush You Bye” including

folk singers Joan Baez, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and American blues singer Odetta. Aaron Copland

even set a version of the folk song in his Old American Songs (1952).

Transformation. “Hush You Bye” is composed as a fantasia, which allows more

compositional freedom. Beaser uses several techniques to transform “Hush You Bye.” The first

technique employed is the development of a pasacaglia bass in the guitar. Beaser expands the

original one-bar introduction into a four-bar progression as seen in Example 3.7.

Example 3.7 “Hush You Bye,” mm. 1–4

As the song progresses, the bass line becomes more complex and ornamented. One

example of ornamentation is heard at the second iteration of the verse. Beaser adds a three-note

motive on top of the steady pasacaglia bass in the guitar in measure 28.

Example 3.8 “Hush You Bye,” mm. 26–29

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This motive is heard throughout the following phrases, and eventually catapults the song into the

improvisatory-like, fantasia section nearly forty bars later, in measure 66.

Another example of how Beaser transforms the original setting of “Hush You Bye” is his

elongation of several points in the melody, beginning in measure 28, causing a shift in meter

from duple to triple. Measure 28 marks a shift in character as Beaser introduces several

techniques to elaborate the original strophic setting. At one point, he instructs the guitarist to use

ponticello to vary the timbre. He also introduces new melodic material in the flute part at the

same time. In measure 49, the guitar and flute begin totrade melodic and counter melodic

material. This section never returns to the original melody, but instead leads into the true fantasia

section of the piece starting in measure 66.

The most obvious transformation of “Hush You Bye” comes from Beaser’s addition of

an extended fantasia section in measure 66. As with several of Beaser’s other songs in this

collection, “Hush You Bye” is transformed by melodic expansion. The fantasia section is based

on the original tune, but is hardly recognizable. The flute and guitar parts become equally

complex as virtuosic, improvisatory-like passages are traded between the instruments.

As the tempo of the movement begins to slow, a climactic reiteration of the melody ocurs

in measure 80. Beaser continues the shift in meter and adds simple ornamentation to the original

tune. The pianissimo dynamic returns the performers to the quiet introduction. This time Beaser

instructs the players to play “Slowly, from a distance” as if the music is fading into the unknown.

Compared to the other songs in Mountain Songs, “Hush You Bye,” most clearly develops

from a simple strophic song to a complex piece of music. Beaser accomplishes this through the

development of a pasacaglia bass, melodic ornamentation, and the addition of an extended

improvisatory-like fantasia section.

“Cindy”

“Cindy” is newer than the other folk songs discussed in this treatise. One of the first appearances

of the song is in Anne Virginia Culbertson’s At the Big House: Where Aunt Nancy and Aunt

‘Phrony Held Forth on the Animal Folks in 1904.39 “Cindy” is taken from an old form of theatre

39 Anne Virginia Culbertson, At the Big House: Where Aunt Nancy and Aunt ‘Phrony Held Forth on the Animal Folks (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1904), 72.

21

once popular in the United States called the minstrel show.40 Performers would paint their faces

black in order to imitate African Americans. Minstrel shows, especially the traveling minstrel

shows, were popular in the ninteenth and early twentieth centuries.41 By the mid-twentieth

century minstrel theatre fell out of popularity, but the music still lives on today.

Several twentieth century popular singers including Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash have

recorded their version of “Cindy.” The lyrics from one version to the next because performers

and composers have added new verses over time. Unlike the other songs in the cycle, “Cindy” is

light-hearted and downright silly. The lyrics of the tune depict Cindy as a southern girl that loves

to flirt.

I wish I had an apple

A-hangin’ on a tree

And every time that pretty gal passed

She’d take a bite of me42

Transformation. Beaser transforms the song in two ways. First, he adds several musical

references that illustrate Cindy’s flirtatious demeanor. Second, though Beaser loosely keeps the

strophic form of the piece, he expands the song by adding a completely new middle section.

The tempo marking at the opening of the song instructs the players to perform “With

Rambunctious Charm.” The opening flourish of notes in the guitar followed by a high energy

guitar accompaniment sets the mood for the entire piece. The accompaniment passage sounds as

if it were written for traditional folk instruments like the stand up bass or banjo. After the two-

bar introduction, the opening flute melody enters, and is quite playful. Beaser adds a flirtatious

glissando in measure 5 that sounds like a catcall.

After the first two verses are introduced, Beaser transforms the original song by adding a

completely new middle section in measure 33. This middle section is characterized by a playful

rubato that breaks from the steady thumping of the guitar accompaniment. Beaser requests the

performers play “playful” and “flirtatious” in this section, as the flute and guitar alternate

between fast and slow sections.

40 Alan Lomax and John Lomax, The 111 Best American Ballads / Alan Lomax, Editor, Charles Seeger and Ruth Crawford Seeger, Music Editors (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1947), 78–79. 41 Ibid, 78. 42 Ibid, 94.

22

This middle section leads into another verse of the song in measure 46, where Beaser

places fermatas on every pickup into the melody, again referencing Cindy’s flirtatiousness. The

second time he adds a fermata, he places a long glissando in the guitar part that launches the

music back into a steady tempo. Following the last full iteration of the chorus in measure 56, the

flute and guitar have fast moving notes that are loosely based on motives from the original

melody, as seen in the following example.

Example 3.9 “Cindy,” mm. 66–69

The guitar plays a series of strong pizzicato eighth notes in measure 66, but eventually

joins the flute in alternating sixteenths directly before the climax of the movement. This added

phrase is not in the original song, but serves as a transition into the final chorus and coda. When

the final chorus returns, it does so with more excitement, as the guitarist is instructed to execute

“wild vibrato,” and play “raucous!” A short coda builds to the finale of the piece, and the flute

and guitar end together with an accented note.

“The Cuckoo”

The cuckoo is a type of bird that has a long history in traditional English folklore. The

mythology is two-fold. In one instance, the cuckoo brings fertility and abundance. In another, the

cuckoo represents a woman who has cheated on her husband. This dual symbolism stems from

23

the bird’s pecular behavoir of laying eggs in another bird’s nest in the spring.43 The lyrics of the

“The Cuckoo” warns lovers of being unfaithful to their partners.

A meeting, it’s a pleasure,

And a parting is grief,

But an inconstant lover

Is worse than a thief.

A thief he’ll but rob you

And take what you have,

While an inconstant lover

Will lead you to your grave.44

Transformation. In Mountain Songs, Beaser exploits the dual-sidedness of the folklore

through music. The original folk song was performed on banjo featuring “sawmill tuning” also

knon as “mountain minor tuning.” Sawmill tuning is distinctive because it features the intervals

of the 4th and 5th. The strings of the banjo are tuned to the following notes: GDGCD. There are

several instances of sustained fourth and fifth intervals throughout “The Cuckoo,” as seen in

measures 12 and 14 of Example 3.10.

Example 3.10 “The Cuckoo,” mm. 12–14

43 Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America, 201. 44 Ibid, 217.

24

As the piece progresses, Beaser explores other harmonies to add color to the song. The

final verse is harmonically complex compared to the first, and there is an emphasis on the

chromatic upper neighbor.

Beaser also transforms the song by writing for piccolo instead of flute. By doing this, he

is able to reference the bird calls easily, as the piccolo sounds more sprightly and bird-like. There

is also reference to the dark (guitar) and light (piccolo) qualities of the cuckoo’s dual

symbolism.45 The relationship between the piccolo and guitar become increasingly intense in

color, articulation, and dynamic as the movement progresses.

Beaser dramatically alters the architecture of the song by adding a new middle section—

“Tempo II: Restless, undulating.” The new section is quite free, allowing the piccolo to take

center stage with its incessant reference to bird calls. This middle section is foreshadowed by

what Beaser calls the “flurry” of notes in measures 15–17, and more emphatically in measures

42.

Example 3.11 “The Cuckoo,” m. 42

These flurries are Beaser’s homage to the bird calls of the cuckoo. Even though the bird

calls are not found in the original folk song, Beaser intertwines them into original material, and

even includes them in the refrain.

Another subtle transformation is heard in the accompaniment’s rhythmic patterns. Beaser

shifts from the syllabic accompaniment rhythms, to a duple then a triple rhythmic feel in measure

28. This accompaniment rhythm is heard throughout the new middle section. Once the final

verses return in measure 122, the guitar’s accompaniment role becomes independent from the

flute.

45 Robert Beaser, interview, March 28, 2016.

25

The return of the two final verses is indicated by the marking “Darkly.” The passage

opens with a flurry of notes, this time heard in the guitar. The final verses are much freer, as the

performers are instructed to play “poco rubato.” The accompaniment figures have shifted from

being supportive, to equal: The guitarist, in several places, spins into virtuosic passages that

constrast the long lines heard in the piccolo. Beaser uses these shifts in harmony, rhythm, and

color to illustrate the dark, obsessive personality of the cuckoo.

Beaser transforms “The Cuckoo” by exploring the darker side of the mythological bird’s

dual symbolism. He does this by adding several musical references to bird calls, scoring the song

for piccolo, and adding a haunting extended improvisatory-like section.

“Fair and Tender Ladies”

“Fair and Tender Ladies” is a traditional lyric ballad from the Appalachian mountain region.

Alan Lomax compares this genre of lyric ballads to the Spanish “cante hondo” because of their

“Sorrowful themes…with little gaiety and sensuality.”46

As with several of Beaser’s songs in this collection, it is told from the perspective of a

young lady. She tells a story of loneliness, perhaps of an unresolved love affair. The lyrics are

straightforward with a touch of sadness.

Come all you fair and tender ladies,

Be careful how you court young men,

They’re like a star in the summer’s morning,

First appear and then they’re gone.47

Several folk singers from the past few decades have recorded their version of the tune, including

the Carter Family, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris.

Transformation. “Fair and Tender Ladies” is the most straightforward of all the songs.

The most obvious transformation is that he sets the melody to a canon. After the first verse, the

guitar begins.

46 Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America, 196. 47 Alan Lomax and John Lomax, The 111 Best American, 58.

26

Example 3.12 “Fair and Tender Ladies,” mm. 24–25

The canon entrances by the guitar use harmonic fingerings, which creates a striking

effect. The canon is exchanged between the two instruments throughout the song, creating a

continuous sound.

Another transformation Beaser composes in “Fair and Tender Ladies” is the addition of

short harmonic progressions before the beginning of a verse. The progression has a steady,

chorale-like quality that sets the delicate entrance of the flute. Almost every subsequent entrance

of the verse is introduced by this two-bar progression heard in the guitar.

Example 3.13 “Fair and Tender Ladies,” mm. 1–3

The basic harmonic movement of this progression begins with a tonic chord that moves

to a dominant chord by way of the subdominant. The progression can be loosely heard

throughout, with a final iteration at the end of the movement in measure 90.

Though the key signature indicates E major, the movement eludes any reference to a

strong tonic chord. This creates a feeling of suspension, which is emphasized by the parallel

27

motion of the chords in the two bar entrance. In general, Beaser’s version of “Fair and Tender

Ladies” is centered around the note B and the melody references the Mixolydian scale. The use

of fuctional harmonies is elusive.

Beaser transforms “Fair and Tender Ladies” from the original folk song by adding a

canon between the two instruments and creating elusive harmonies.

“Quicksilver”

The final song of the cycle is an original work by the composer. Beaser collaborated with

American poet Daniel Mark Epstein by using text from Epstein’s poem, “Quicksilver”:

Life is easy now and then

Life is a song I’ll love ‘till the end

Loving the tune I’ll sing it again…

Rain, rain away

Wishes are treasures

Make one today

See summer come

Faster than Seagulls all the way home.48

Though Beaser didn’t set text to music in “Quicksilver,” he allows the music to express

the underlying meaning of the text. “Quicksilver” highlights Beaser’s ability to create vivid

musical references to words without having to use them. Compared to the other songs in the

collection, “Quicksilver” is similar in construction and composition. The song is strophic and

divided in two parts by a short guitar interlude. The refrain is a fast rhythmic melody in the key

of G major, offset by a phrase in the key of E minor. In general, the guitar accompaniment is a

driving force behind the entire song. The simplistic nature of Beaser’s writing reinforces

characteristics of a folk song: repetition, tonality, and a narrative.

“Quicksilver” is a whimsical end to Mountain Songs. The final song completes the

collection because it is energetic and uplifting. Beaser’s ultimate finale to Mountain Songs leaves

the listener on a positive note.

48 Paula Robison, “Flutings with Paula Robison.”

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Conclusion

Beaser is successful in transforming the original folk songs by using the flute instead of voice.

Although he treats each movement in Mountain Songs differently, there are a few recurring

transformations. These include:

1) The expansion of the original song’s story, dialogue and characters’ roles through music as in

“The House Carpenter” or “He’s Gone Away”

2) The addition of a completely new middle section to the song as heard in “He’s Gone Away,”

“Hush You Bye,” and “The Cuckoo” and

3) The addition of musical references to depict an animal, as in “The Cuckoo,” or illustrate hope,

desperation, or even flirting as in “Cindy.”

The composer’s transformation from folk song to art music is a colorful example of equal

distribution of thematic roles and synergy between the flute and guitar parts. Though the flute is

often heard playing the melody, the guitar introduces, ends, and features substantial themes and

motives that are indispensable to Mountain Songs. In “Barbara Allen,” the guitar is the primary

melodic instrument. The flute and guitar frequently exchange the melody in the fantasia setting

of “Hush You Bye” and canons heard in “Fair and Tender Ladies.” The guitar also introduces the

“look away” motive heard in “He’s Gone Away.” The addition of the Erlkönig accompanimental

figure heard in “The House Carpenter” is Beaser’s most obvious transformation of folk song to a

concert setting for flute and guitar. The guitar introduces short interludes that add variety, or

expand the original folk song. In “Cindy” the guitar’s short interjections launch the piece into

another reiteration of the verse.

Mountain Songs is a colorful example of the capabilities of the flute and guitar duo.

Beaser showcases both the flute and guitar in his transformation from folk song to chamber

music setting by distributing thematic and melodic roles between instruments.

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CHAPTER 4

AMERICAN ART MUSIC: LOWELL LIEBERMANN’S SONATA FOR

FLUTE AND GUITAR

Biographical Sketch of Lowell Liebermann

Lowell Liebermann is one of the most sought-after American composers. He studied piano from

a young age and began composing for the instrument in high school. He attended The Juilliard

School, studying conducting, piano, and composition. Today, his works are frequently

programmed by world class performers. Some of his most popular pieces include Three

Impromptus for solo piano, the Piano Concerto No. 2, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, and the

Symphony no. 2. Three Impromptus won the American Composers’ Invitational Award, an

award given by the Van Cliburn Competition.49

His popularity in the flute community soared after the first performance of the Sonata for

Flute and Piano in 1988 at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. That year the

Spoleto Festival was co-directed by Paula Robison, a leading American flutist, and her husband

Scott Nickrenz. Robison and Nickrenz were familiar with Liebermann’s work, and decided to

commission him to write a sonata for flute and piano for the festival.50 Since 1988 James

Galway, Katherine Kemler, and Joan Sparks of the Sparx Duo have also comissioned

Liebermann to write pieces featuring the flute.

In total, Liebermann has written twelve pieces for flute including three concerti—one for

the flute, another for the piccolo, and most recently a Concerto for Flute and Harp. He has also

composed two pieces for solo flute, and three different sonatas featuring the flute with other

instruments. Liebermann has written two pieces for guitar, including a guitar duo and the Sonata

for Flute and Guitar.

His popularity has sparked several articles and treatises about his compositions. One

example can be found in the spring 2016 edition of the National Flute Association’s publication,

49 “Lowell Liebermann.com | Biography,” Lowell Liebermann.com, accessed May 13, 2016, http://www.lowellliebermann.com/biography/index.html. 50 Lisa M. Garner, “Lowell Liebermann: A Stylistic Analysis of the Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 23, Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Op. 25, and Soliloquy for Flute Solo, Op. 44,” (D.M.A. diss., Rice University, 1997), 63.

30

the Flutist Quarterly. In this article, Liebermann, alongside a handful of other composers are

praised for “masterfully writing for flutists, rather than for the perceived tastes of critics, other

composers, or the cache of new trends.” 51 In the words of Francesca Arnone, the author of the

article, Liebermann “resisted composing in the style of his teachers.”52 Arnone paints

Liebermann as a composer who defies mainstream art music by writing in a mostly tonal style

that features lyrical lines and motivic coherence. She points to his compositional style as the

reason why he has gained several commissions from all over the world.53

Lowell Liebermann’s Compositional Style

Lowell Liebermann’s music is distinct. There are a few broad characteristics that distinguish him

from other composers today. For example, most of his pieces are written using traditional formal

arrangements such as sonata or a rondo form. He writes recognizable melodies and motives that

make his pieces cohesive. He notes his musical influences as being Shostakovich and Wagner.54

Another characteristic is that Liebermann’s music exploits tonality by pushing the edges

of harmony and voice leading. His music can be described as tonal. Liebermann says, “I’m one

of those composers who is very comfortable with tonality and feels that it is a tool to be used.

One doesn’t either have to avoid it or stick too closely to it.”55

Overall, the composer’s use of traditional forms, recognizable motives, and tonality make

his music accessible to audiences. In fact, Liebermann has put much thought into how audiences

perceived his music. This is perhaps because of his time spent conducting large ensembles,

especially opera. His conducting teacher Laszlo Halasz had tried to convince Liebermann to

become a conductor, and to give up piano and composition, but Liebermann prevailed. In an

interview in 1996, Liebermann responded to a question about how his music is accessible to

audiences. He states,

I don’t believe in writing down to an audience, however, one has to be conscious that you are writing for an audience, otherwise, who are you writing for? Again, when I write a piece, I keep in mind the ideal performer and there’s also that assumption of an ideal

51 Francesca Arnone, “A Sampling of Compelling Flute-Centered Composer,” The Flutist Quarterly 42, no. 3 (March 1, 2016), 34. 52 Ibid. 53 Ibid. 54 Lisa Garner, “Lowell Liebermann: A Stylistic Analysis,” 24. 55 Ibid, 27.

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audience. I basically write what I would like to hear. Music is a communication. If your music is so difficult to understand that it is necessary to explain it verbally, that is a defect in the composition.56

Introduction to Sonata for Flute and Guitar

The Sonata for Flute and Guitar is representative of Liebermann’s compositional style. The work

features traditional formal arrangements, tonality, and cohesive melodies and motives. It is also

accessible to audiences. Similar to Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Piano, the Sonata for Flute

and Guitar is in two movements, slow and fast. When asked why he wrote only two movements,

he said the thought two movements worked well for the Sonata for Flute and Piano, so he

decided to use the arrangement again.57

Though the pieces were written only a year a part, the Sonata for Flute and Guitar is not

programmed as often as the Sonata for Flute and Piano. Perhaps this is because of the difficulty

of the guitar part. Finding a capable and willing guitarist to learn Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute

and Guitar is not as easy as finding a pianist, in most situations. Still, there have been several

duos to record the sonata, and it remains a staple of the ensemble’s body of works.

Movement 1

The first movement of Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, is the longest of the

two. The overall form of the movement is ambiguous. One analysis by Lisa Garner in her

dissertation, “Lowell Liebermann: A Stylistic Analysis of the Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 23,

Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Op. 25, and Soliloquy for Flute Solo,” states the first movement is in

a sonata allegro form.58 Another analysis by Jeannine Dennis in her dissertation, “The Life and

Music of Lowell Liebermann with an Emphasis on His Music for the Flute and the Piccolo,”

suggests a rondo form.59 The following example is a graphic representation of the author’s

formal analysis.

56 Lisa Garner, “Lowell Liebermann: A Stylistic Analysis,” 20. 57 Ibid, 12–13. 58 Ibid, 46. 59 Jeannine Dennis, “The Life and Music of Lowell Liebermann with an Emphasis on His Music for the Flute and the Piccolo,” (D.M.A. diss., University of Cincinnati, 1999), 31.

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Example 4.1 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, form graphic representation

The movement has major contrasting sections, “A” and “B.” It is hard to label the

movement as either sonata allegro form or a rondo form for this reason. There is not a clear

development section that is typical of the sonata allegro form, nor is the opening theme repeated

exactly the same every time, as you would find in a rondo form. The best description of the first

movement is “arch” form. An arch form is characterized by dinstinct sections of music that have

mirror symmetry. The arch form was popularized by composers, such at Bartók, in the early

twentieth century.60

The opening A section is characterized by a quiet, long melody over an arpeggiated

accompaniment. The opening measure begins with an E major-minor chord, establishing the key

of E as seen in Example 4.2.

Example 4.2 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 1–2

60 The Oxford Companion to Music. Oxford Music Online. (Oxford University Press), s.v. "Arch Form," accessed April 3, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/subscriber/article/opr/t114/e365.

33

The flute begins the first phrase in measure 3, while the guitar plays an E triad that

features both a major and minor interval. The tempo marking is quarter note = 42, a tempo

extremely challenging for the flutist’s breath. In an interview, Paula Robison illustrates the

difficulty of the Nocturne, “…in the first movement the line was too long for me to handle. I

couldn’t keep it going.” 61

The A section’s theme repeats twice. The second time it repeats, it is moves from the key

of E, to D. Shortly after in measure 21, a transition is introduced through a series of trills in the

flute. The transition is based on an octatonic scale set that disguises any tonal center, alerting the

listener that the piece is about to shift into new territory. The guitar takes the lead from its

accompanimental role by playing short, three note motives seen in Example 4.3.

Example 4.3 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 24–27

These motives foreshadow the upcoming B section’s rhythmic movement. A few

measures later, the end of the transition prepares the listener for the B section through repeated C

pedal notes heard in the guitar. These pedal notes are the dominant of F, the opening key of the B

section.

61 Lisa Garner, “Lowell Liebermann: A Stylistic Analysis,” 70.

34

The B section sounds much faster than the previous section. The most obvious change is

the change from simple meter to compound meter. Another distinct feature is the guitar’s

ostinato triplets against the duple feel of the flute’s melody.

Example 4.4 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 30–33

Harmonically, the B section is far more ambiguous than the A section. It begins in F

major, indicated by the pedal tone in the guitar, but it doesn’t stay there long. The second

iteration of the phrase occurs about twenty bars later in measure 44 in the key C# major, an

augmented fifth from the original F major. The B section ends with a chromatic descent in flute,

alongside a D pedal tone in the guitar that prepares the listener for the return of the A section.

Overall, the B section has an open texture that sounds quite different than the A section.

A2 is transposed up a third to the key of G for two measures before returning to the

original key of E. A2 is much shorter than A, and the theme is repeated only once. The transition

of A2 is similar to the first A, as it is characterized by the octatonic scale set and short motives

heard in the guitar.

B2 is in the primary key of E major. Like A2, it is much shorter than its original, with

only one full statement of the primary theme. Though shorter, it still has the same characteristics

found in the first B section: triple meter and a wide range between the flute and guitar. There are

two instances in B2 where Liebermann interjects material from the A section. This dramatic shift

is marked by the change of meter. Both times this happens, there is a quick return of compound

meter and B section material, as seen in Example 4.5.

35

Example 4.5 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Nocturne, mm. 79–86

The final return of the A section’s primary theme is almost exact. It is shorter with only

one statement of the theme and there is no transition. A short coda begins in measure 101, and

the piece ends on a resounding E major-minot chord.

Both the A and B sections remain separate throughout the first movement. Each have

their own characteristics. The A section, is in duple meter and is characterized by dramatic, long

lines in the flute while the guitar arpeggiates major-minor chords. The B section, is in triple

meter, has a wide range between the instruments, and features primarily major chords.

Movement 2

Compared to the first movement, the second movement of Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and

Guitar is much faster, and the tempo remains the same throughout. The meter is a sprightly 12/8.

The flute and guitar are far more conversational than in the first movement.

36

The second movement of Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar is in sonata allegro

form.

Example 4.6 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, form graphic representation

The exposition of the second movement begins in the key of E. The guitar has a one-bar

introduction that sets the fast tempo. The flute plays a quasi-chromatic melody, while the guitar

plays steady triplet figures. The dynamic is forte, a dramatic change from the previous

movement.

Example 4.7 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 1–3

The first section of the exposition, A, can be divided into two phrase groups, or themes,

that are closely related to each other: a and a´. The first theme, a, quickly comes to a close with

the instruments moving in opposite directions to a final cadence in the key of E in measure 11.

The flute moves upward through a series quasi-chromatic falling intervals, and the guitar moves

down through alternating chromatic and minor third intervals. A two-bar transition in the guitar

introduces the second statement of the theme, a´.

As a´ proceeds, the flute’s melody becomes more disjunct, featuring wide leaps that are

sometimes larger than an octave. The guitar’s arpeggiated figures change slightly, to a down and

up pattern. The third and final phrase of the A section, another a´statement, is highlighted by the

37

accompanimental figure in the guitar. The up and down pattern remains, but the rhythm is

shortened from four sixteenths to quintuplets. This arpeggiated pattern is unlike anything heard

up until this point. Liebermann is building tension before moving to the B section.

The B section is led by the guitar in measure 30. It may not be so obvious when looking

at the score, but the highest sounding pitch on the guitar carries a slow-moving melody that is in

the key of D. The flute serves as an accompaniment role only by accentuating the guitarist’s

melody.

Example 4.8 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 30–32

The B section’s slow-moving melody is eventually heard in the flute in measure 38. It is

almost exactly the same as the guitar’s version, but it is much more simple than the first, and the

guitar accompanies the line in parallel motion. When the flute plays the melody, there is a

dramatic change in dynamic. The first time it is heard in the guitar, it is at a loud forte. The

second time in the flute, it is pianissimo. Overall, the B section is more accentuated and both

instruments are melodically synchronized. Also, the flute and guitar are frequently exchanging

parts, which gives the B section a more conversational sound. Just like the first movement,

Liebermann differentiates sections of music through dramatic musical contrasts.

The development is relatively short when compared to the rest of the movement. In total,

it lasts for only ten measures. The most interesting aspect of the development is that Liebermann

stacks the different sections, creating a layered texture. For example, at the opening of the

development in measure 49, the flute is playing an augmented version of the first theme from the

first movement, while the guitarist is playing the melody from the B section of the second

movement as seen in Example 4.9.

38

Example 4.9 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 48–53

The following, and final phrase of the development section is also stacked using material

from the second movement of the sonata. Both stacked melodies come from the A section of the

exposition. The flutist plays the melody from a´, while the guitarist is playing the

accompanimental figure from the opening of the movement. This phrase leads into a one-bar

introduction into the recapitulation.

The recapitulation begins with the A section. It is in the key of E, and is almost exact to

the opening of the movement, but only the first phrase is repeated. The a´ phrases are not

repeated, but instead move into another iteration of the B section. Like the previous B section,

the guitar has the melody. This time it is more forceful and unlike anything heard in the piece so

far. Rhythmically strummed chords create an exhilarating effect that carries the music to the

coda.

The coda reiterates the opening theme of A, though the accompaniment in the guitar is

playing sextuplets that create a driving effect. These sextuplets actually become a motive

themselves in measure 80, as the flute alternates the pattern with the guitar. The movement

finally concludes with repeated strumed chords in the guitar and a three-bar scale in the flute to a

ringing E major-minor chord.

39

Example 4.10 Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Allegro, mm. 78–83

Conclusion

In summary, there are a several interesting characteristics of Liebermann’s compositional style

that are present in the Sonata for Flute and Guitar. Most importantly, Liebermann employs both

instruments in an equal distribution of thematic and motivic roles to create a substantial work for

the duo.

Liebermann’s compositional style is heard in the opening of the first movement when the

guitar plays an E triad with both a major and minor third. Liebermann uses this technique not

only in the Flute and Guitar Sonata, but also in his Concerto for Flute and the Sonata for Flute

and Piano. Another characteristic is Liebermann’s use of ostinato figures. In the Sonata for Flute

and Guitar, Liebermann composes the ostinati in the guitar to create intensity. The opening

movement, in particular, has several instances of ostinato figures. Liebermann uses ostinato

figures in the guitar as a source for continual movement. It also creates a layered texture in the

40

music. The repeated ostinato figures can be heard in Liebermann’s other compositions such as

his Concerto for Flute, Sonata for Violin and Piano, and the Sonata for Flute and Piano.

Liebermann also favors smooth voice leading. On top of the ostinato figures, he writes

melodies that are clear and in mostly stepwise motion. These melodies are often in an extreme

dynamic level or range. They are typically very long and can span for several measures. This can

be heard in the flute part of both A and B sections of the first movement, and also the

development section of second movement. To support smooth voice leading, Liebermann writes

colorful harmonies throughout the Sonata. For example, in the first few measures of the first

movement, Liebermann uses major-minor chords throughout. In the transition of the A section,

he explores the octatonic scale to create ambiguity. Though he uses a variety of techniques to

disguise functional harmony it is always to support the melodic line.

The last major characteristic of Liebermann’s musical style heard in the Sonata for Flute and

Guitar is the dramatic contrasts between different sections within one movement. He does this by

change of texture, meter, and range in both instruments. In the first movement, he creates

contrast between sections through a change in meter and tonality. In the second movement,

Liebermann creates contrast between sections by stacking the melody on top of itself, to create a

new texture—one that is more synchronized between the instruments.

In closing, Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar is an interesting and substantial

work for the duo. The work a an example of Liebermann’s compositional style and serves as a

showpiece of the capabilities of the flute and guitar duo through the equal distribution of

important thematic roles.

41

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

In the late twentieth century, composers in America began exploring the flute and guitar duo

unlike ever before. Composers such as Liebermann and Beaser opened the doors for others to

begin writing works that feature the flute and guitar in an equal distribution of thematic roles.

For this reason, the duo thrives in the twenty-first century. In the past decade, composers such as

David Leisner, Gary Shocker, and Roland Dyens have written substantial works for the flute and

guitar duo. The duo’s variety of sounds—timbre, articulation, and dynamic range—offer

unlimited possibility to composers.

Perhaps one of the primary reasons for the expansion of the duo and its repertoire can be

attributed to advances in technology. Technology has sparked the ease of communication

between composers, performers, and audience members. Musicians now have resources that

enable self-sufficiency, especially in non-performance related tasks such as booking performance

venues, commissioning new works, and engaging with their audience.

Another important consideration, from an entrepreneurial perspective, is that the

ensemble is quite agile with maximum returns. The intimate nature of only few performers on

stage has significant implications for many reasons, not least of which is monetary. Having only

two performers, the ensemble is highly portable and players can tackle a variety of musical styles

in one setting. Because of these reasons, the several notable ensembles have risen to prominence

in the chamber music world.

The Folias Duo, a flute and guitar duo based in Michigan, specialize in Argentinian

music. The duo has a rigorous performance calendar while simultaneously publishing their own

arrangements and original compositions online. This is only one example; the Cavatina Duo,

based in Chicago, Illinois, also has a steady performance schedule, several recordings, as well as

famous music arrangements. Several ensembles, such as the Duo Vela, have chosen to record

and publish their music independently.

As a result, there has been growing research devoted to the flute and guitar duo and its

repertoire. Lisa Schroeder’s 2015 dissertation, referenced earlier in this treatise, is one of the first

to explore the flute and guitar ensemble as a legitimate chamber group. As her research

42

concludes, the flute and guitar duo is still growing as several professional ensembles have and

continue to commission new pieces.62 In conclusion, the flute and guitar duo will thrive for

years to come because of its versatility and the entrepreneurial spirit of performers, composers

and researchers.

62 Lisa Marie Schroeder, “The Flute and Guitar Duo: The Development of an Equal Partnership,” 44.

43

APPENDIX A

COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR ROBERT BEASER’S

MOUNTAIN SONGS

44

45

APPENDIX B

COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR LOWELL LIEBERMANN’S SONATA

FOR FLUTE AND GUITAR

46

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49

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Amanda Taylor is an active teacher and performer. She is the principal flute with the City Ballet

in Wilmington, North Carolina and is a member of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra. Her

flute and guitar duo, Cypress Duo, www.cypressduo.com, maintains an active performance

schedule. She teaches at Coastal Carolina Community College in Southeastern North Carolina.

She is also serves on the board of the Raleigh Flute Association.

Amanda is passionate about using the entire body to play the flute. She earned her

Registered Yoga Teacher License (RYT-200) from Journeys in Yoga in Tallahassee, FL in 2012.

She is on the faculty of the summer workshop, the Wildacres Flute Retreat in Little Switzerland,

NC, where she teaches gentle yoga. She has given several workshops and masterclasses about

integrating yoga into the performance and practice of music.

As an avid technology enthusiast, specifically graphic design, web development, and digital

marketing, Amanda is the founder and editor of The Flute Examiner,

www.thefluteexaminer.com, an online newsletter and publication dedicated to flute and flute

pedagogy. The mission of the publication is to deliver engaging content that not only informative

but accessible to all readers. The platform has grown to over 500 subscribers in the last year.

Amanda has played with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra (TN), Northwest Florida

Symphony Orchestra, Panama City POPS orchestra (FL), and the Knoxville Symphony

Orchestra. Her teachers include Eva Amsler, Dr. Shelley Binder, Kathy Karr, and Dr. Stephanie

Rea. She has served as a teaching assistant at both the University of Tennessee Knoxville (M.M.)

and the Florida State University (D.M.A.). Her undergraduate degree was completed at The

University of Louisville (KY). To read more about Amanda, visit www.amandataylor.me.