Dreamweaver Stephen Dunstone

Dreamweaver For - Intermediate (with one easier part) 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   Buy this music now £10.50 +p&p

Artist Profile and catalogue of works - Stephen Dunstone

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Dreamweaver

There are four parts as follows::-

Dreamer A
Dreamer B
The Sleepwalker
The Weaver

 

Dreamweaver was first performed by the National Youth Harp Orchestra of Great Britain, for whom it was originally written. It’s a fast-flowing mesmeric piece which builds to a climax at the centre then diminishes again to the end, reprising the same material in reverse order (more or less). The dream is woven by the Harp 4 player, who has the honour of being “The Weaver”; the 8-bar motifs in the two “Dreamer” parts twine themselves around each other while the “Sleepwalker” (an easier part) wanders between them.

Although each motif has frequent repetitions, no two 8-bar phrases in either half are the same, because the combination of motifs varies, and the octave in which they’re played regularly changes too. Thus the sound is sometimes more densely woven with everyone in the central octave, and sometimes more spacious and airy.

One of the things that adds to the almost feverish quality of the music, and contributes to the entwining feel, is the fact that none of the parts play the same rhythm at the same time - until the climactic section at letter J, where suddenly the two Dreamers and the Sleepwalker all have identical syncopated rhythms. These syncopations fit naturally into a 6/8 time signature, so to highlight that new emphasis (and to make the rhythms easier to read) I have changed the time signatures at that point. However, the Weaver’s part does stay in 3/4, maintaining the slightly unsettled-dream feel of the music.

All the above might make the piece seem strange and difficult to play, but it’s not! It’s beguiling and addictive, and much easier than you might think, provided you all stay in time with each other...

Title:	Dreamweaver
Composer:	Stephen Dunstone
Instrumentation:	4 Lever or Pedal Harps
Level:	Intermediate
Format:	A4 stapled score and set of 4 A4 parts
Weight:	154gm
ISMN:	9790570464111
Our Ref:	SD1065
Publisher:	Creighton's Collection
Printer/Distributor:	Creighton's Collection
Edition/Year:	2022
Origin:	UK