Valse Triste Stephen Dunstone

Valse Triste For - Mixed Ability, though not hard, 4-part harp ensemble Please click the "About this work & Performance Notes" heading below for further details This book is supplied as a score and set of 4 parts + motifs   Buy this music now £10.00 +p&p

Artist Profile and catalogue of works - Stephen Dunstone

 
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Valse Triste

There are five parts as follows::-

Harp A
Harp B
Harp C
Harp D
All motifs, individually

Valse Triste forms an arc, starting quietly with all harps playing the main theme, and building gradually in intensity, volume and speed as three more motifs are added one by one and woven into the texture. It then diminishes from its peak in verse 4 as the motifs are removed in reverse order, the intensity and volume lessening, the piece ending as it started with everyone playing the main theme.

I’ve called the three additional motifs Melody, Low Quavers and High Quavers. So that the maximum number of players get to play the greatest variety of music while keeping the arc shape viable, I’ve organised the score like this:-

Harp A plays: Main Theme, Melody, Low Quavers and High Quavers.

Harps B and C both play: Main Theme, Melody and Low Quavers, though not always at the same time.

Harp D plays: Main Theme and Melody.

In case it’s useful for performers to vary what they play without being restricted to the format of the existing score, I’ve also included a part that sets out all the motifs and lists the verses in which they appear (plus a simplified theme for less experienced players). What’s crucial, though, is that the verses do contain (and only contain) the following:-

Verse 1: Main theme
Verse 2: Main theme / Melody
Verse 3: Main theme / Melody / Low Quavers
Verse 4: Main theme/ Melody / Low Quavers / High Quavers
Verse 5: Main theme / Melody / Low Quavers
Verse 6: Main theme / Melody
Verse 7: Main theme

I always think it looks far better (and the music flows better) if both hands are kept in play, even if a part is playable entirely in one hand. For that reason I’ve made a suggestion for LH / RH use in the Low Quavers and High Quavers by using the tails up / tails down convention - but it is just a suggestion...

Title:	Valse Triste
Composer:	Stephen Dunstone
Instrumentation:	4 Lever or Pedal Harps
Level:	Mixed Ability, though not hard
Format:	A4 stapled score and set of 4 A4 parts
Weight:	160gm
ISMN:	979-0-57046-361-9
Our Ref:	SD1037
Publisher:	Creighton's Collection
Printer/Distributor:	Creighton's Collection
Edition/Year:	2019
Origin:	UK