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Fantasy for English Horn & Piano - "The Grove"


Jared Steven Destro

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Hello, everyone! Here is a short piece I wrote this week for English horn and piano based on a poem of mine; the poem is simple, and motivated by image (a writing style of which I am very fond). I have termed the piece as a “fantasy,” mostly due to its free-flowing form and structure; if I were to expand on that, it very much conforms to an introduction—caprice format.

 

The piece coincides with the poem, wherein a young boy is wandering about a savanna plain, playing, and comes to a rest in a dense, gum-tree grove. Here, he begins to fall asleep next to a cool brook – which was hidden by the trees – and he begins to imagine capricious pixies and fairies dancing around.

 

Section I – the introduction – is serious and flowing, shifting from 4/4 to 6/8, and it depicts the oppressive summer heat and the haziness of the powerful sun; section II – the caprice/dance – is playful, light, and in 7/8, introducing intrigue, enigma, and a break from the heat.

 

Overall, it is a relatively short and simple piece, and I will hopefully work on a recording of it, along with my clarinet sonata (after I ruminate all your comments, of course). The English horn is one of my favorite instruments (in part due to its warm and low register), and I really wanted to work on a piece for it. I have attached a watercolor by one of favorite painters, J. M. W. Turner – “On the Washburn,” that I feel pairs with the set well. I’d love to hear your critiques, and thanks for listening!

 

On the Washburn, Turner.jpg

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