Composition - - American Recorder Society
Grosses Lamento
By Burkhard Mohr October 2020
 
S A T B
 
 
Der archaische Klang der Blockflöten und die sehr verhaltene Dynamik in der tiefen
Lage erzwingen geradezu eine elementare Gestaltung, die auf ihre Art zu einer existentiell bedrohlichen Situation passt.

Quasi als Fortsetzung von Sonatina flautando, die kürzlich den Anhang bildete zu einer Sammlung von weihnachtlichen Arrangements, ist das Große Lamento zu sehen, das auf die Frage eingeht, wie es nach Weihnachten weitergehen kann.

Archaisch, elementar, existentiell wird es wohl zugehen, wenn überhaupt geprobt und gespielt werden kann. Den aktuellen Gefühlen angemessen Raum zu geben ist Absicht des Stückes. Es darf hart kontrastiert werden durch andere Werke, die
eine eher heitere Note haben und vom Licht am Ende des Tunnels erzählen wollen.
-- Burkhard Mohr, Wiesbaden, 18. 10. 2020
 
 
The first of three movements in this SATB set is “Dance Macabre”, a rhythmically driven piece in 3/8 meter, with lots of half-step crunches and other punchy dissonances that are easily accessible to intermediate players. Fun brief bits in unison with surprise accidentals make this dance something your group will enjoy working on. Ensemble skills come into play toward the end where a little motive runs through the parts down and back up, leading to the sudden finish.
 
The second movement, “Pastoral-Lamento” is in a relaxed 6/8. It opens in unison, a technique the composer uses frequently throughout this movement, as well as hocket-like passages that give an early-Medieval carousel feel to the music in spots. Unexpected harmonies add sparkle. Frequent accidentals, mostly sharps, keep the music fresh for the players and provide ample practice in finger fluency. Three instances of low B in the Soprano part should simply be played up the octave, and Note as well that in the computer-generated recording the Soprano is an octave lower than it would be in a live recording.
 
The third movement, “Meditatio Lamentationis” is in the most holy of Medieval meters, 9/8. Homophonic passages give way to individual lines that speak in turns, “quasi recitando”. An optional passage in the middle of the piece has some spoken Biblical verse with instructions in German that roughly translate to “Repeat ad lib., possibly with different words”; “Free adaptation from Matthew 1:19; 2:14; Exodus 8:13; 8:15.”; “Measures 33-40 can be omitted if desired”; “These can also be some other text!” and finally “Repeated part ends here”. A beautiful, solemn open fifth E-B-E ends the piece.
-- Glen Shannon
 
 
No. of Recorder Parts:
4
Difficulty:
Moderate
Occasion:
Any
Libraries:
New Music for Recorder
Date Added:
11/18/2020
Style:
Concert, Tonal/Melodic