mark o'connor - sitemason, inc. · 1 harmony - program notes, mark o'connor musicians for...

Score

Mark O'Connor

HarmonyFor

Violin and String Orchestra

Mark O'Connor Musik International

Mark O'ConnorHarmony

ForViolin and String Orchestra

(score)

Original musicprinted from the composer's manuscripts

Music editing, copying and engraving by Mark O'Connorusing "Finale" on Apple Macintosh

Cover design by Doug Regen

2006

Composed By Mark O'Connor

Commissioned by Musicians For HarmonyFor the “5th Anniversary Concert for Peace 2006”

Merkin Hall, New York, NY – September 11th, 2006

Mark O'Connor Musik International

Copyright @ 2006 by M.O.M.I.International copyright secured. All rights reserved including performing rights. Printed in the U.S.A.

Warning! The contents of this publication are protected by copyright law. To copy or reproduce them byany method is an infringement of the copyright law. Anyone who reproduces copyrighted matter is

subject to substantial penalties and assessments for each infringement.

Solo Violin

Violin 1

Violin 1 Div

Violin 2

Violin 2 Div

Viola

Viola Div

Cello

Cello Div

Bass

Reaching Out

mutes(no vib.)

Div.

mutes(no vib.)

mutes(no vib.)

mutes(no vib.)

mutes(no vib.)

A

Harmony

ComposedBy Mark O'Connor

Copyright 2006 Mark O'Connor Musik International

SCORE

for violin and string orchestra

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

8

All Div.

3 3

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

14

All

6

mutes

3 3

Harmony M. O'CONNORScore - P. 2

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

20 BWelcome Dance

solo

2nd div

cel

bass

27 3 3

Div.(vib.)

Div.mutes off

(vib.)


solo

2nd

2nd div

vla

vla div

cel

bass

34

Div.(vib.)

C

mutes off(vib.)

pizzmutes off (relaxed)

pizzmutes off

mutes offAll


solo

1st

2nd

vla

vla div

cel

cel div

bass

38

arcoDiv.

mutes off(vib.)

pizz

pizz

arco

arco

arco

arco


1st

2nd

vla

vla div

cel

cel div

bass

42

pizz

pizz

arco

arco

pizz

pizz


solo

1st

2nd

2nd div

vla

vla div

cel

cel div

bass

45

arco pizz

arco pizz

pizzDiv.

pizz

arcoDiv.

arco

DWelcome Canon

solo

1st

2nd div

vla div

cel

50

pizzAll

3

Div.

3

pizz


solo

1st

2nd

2nd div

vla

vla div

cel

bass

56

3

Dance Fugue

arco

arco

arco


1st

2nd

2nd div

vla

vla div

cel

bass

62 3

3

3

3


solo

1st

2nd

2nd div

vla

vla div

cel

bass

68 EGreeting Fugue

Div.

Div.

Div.

solo

1st

2nd div

vla div

cel

72

pizz

pizzDiv.


solo

1st

1st div

2nd

2nd div

vla

cel

cel div

bass

75

pizzAll

arcoDiv.

3 - 3

arcoDiv.

arco

pizz

arco

arco


1st

1st div

2nd

2nd div

vla

cel

cel div

bass

79

All


solo

1st

2nd

2nd div

vla

cel

cel div

bass

82

(no vib.)

(no vib.)

(no vib.)All

(no vib.)

(no vib.)

FReaching Out

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

87

mutes

mutes

mutes

Allmutes

3


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

93 3

mutes

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

98

(vib.)

Div.(vib.)


solo

2nd

vla

cel

GWorld Fugue

103

Div.mutes off

3

solo

vla

cel

110

3

Div.mutes off

All

solo

vla

cel

117 3

All

3


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

123

mutes off

mutes off(vib.)

Div.3

3

mutes off

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

129

All

3

H

Div.

Div.3


solo

1st

1st div

2nd

2nd div

vla

cel

cel div

bass

135

66 6

Extending

pizz

6

arco

Div.


solo

1st

1st div

2nd

2nd div

vla

cel

cel div

bass

140

Vast... World

All

pizz

6


solo

1st

1st div

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

bass

146

II

pizz

pizz

arco

pizz

pizz

arco


solo

1st

1st div

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

bass

151

pizz

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

156

All

ILittle Voices Dance


solo

vla

cel

162

3 3

Div.

solo

vla

cel

bass

168 2 - 2II

All (pushing forward)

solo

1st

2nd

cel

bass

1753

All


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

181

solo

2nd

vla

cel

186

Div.

JReflection, Remembrance Fugue


solo

1st

2nd

vla

192

Div.

3

pizz

solo

1st

2nd

2nd div

vla

cel

bass

197

3

arco

All3

Div.

Div.

All

3


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

2023 3 K

All

All

pizz

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

207

arco


1st

1st div

2nd

2nd div

vla

vla div

cel

cel div

bass

211 Div.

Div.

arcoDiv.


1st

1st div

2nd

2nd div

vla

vla div

cel

cel div

bass

214All

All

2nd

vla

vla div

cel

cel div

218

(solo)

(Fast)

3

LAwaken Canon

3

Div.


vla

vla div

cel div

225

solo

2nd div

vla

vla div

bass

233 3 3

Div.

solo

1st

2nd

2nd div

bass

240

3 3

Div.


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

246

All

3 3

3 3

3 3

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

bass

251

3 3

MHarmony with Modulation and Counterpoint

Div.


solo

cel div

2583

3

solo

vla

cel div

265 33

33

solo

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

272 4 - 4

All

3


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

bass

280 N

All

3

3

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel div

bass

2883

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

bass

294

Div.

3

3

3

4 - 4

4 - 4

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

cel div

bass

301 3

3

3

OAwaken Dance For All

Div.


solo

2nd

vla

cel

bass

309 3 3

Div.

1 - 1

33

solo

1st

vla

cel

bass

316

Div.

3 3


solo

1st

vla

cel

bass

3221 - 1

1 - 1

33

All

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

328

All

All

All

3 3

3 3


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

334

3 3

3 3

solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

340 3 3

3 3

3 3


solo

1st

2nd

vla

cel

bass

3463

3

3

3

3

3 3

3 3

3 3

solo

1st

2nd

2nd div

vla

cel

bass

353

3 3 3

3 3 3

33

33

33

3 3

Div.


1

Harmony - Program Notes, Mark O'Connor Musicians For Harmony, an organization founded in response to the tragic eventsof 9/11, asked me to compose a chamber orchestra piece for their September 11,2006 concert in New York City . I have composed "Harmony" for thisremembrance concert, an 11-minute long composition that will feature my violinperformance along with The Knights Chamber Orchestra.

What I wished to do in composing this music was to reveal a more Middle Easterntonality to my style which is derived from American folk fiddle music. Making thisconnection between Appalachia to Near Asia is not as remote an idea as one mightassume. For years I have discovered possible origins of folk music from the Southof the United States that could reveal deeper roots from the Mediterranean. Apossible further source of culture, style, and sound that ultimately may haveplayed a part in the development of Appalachian culture we recognize today.

In the days of the first American settlements in the 1500’s and through the early1600’s, Spanish and Portuguese ships deposited slaves who in many casesescaped, or were left behind on American shores. A good percentage of thesepeople were possibly African Moors, Iberian Muslims, Berbers, Moriscos, andArabs from the Ottoman Empire as well as the black slaves from Angola and WestAfrica. The final expulsion of the Moors from Portugal in the early 1600’s came atthe same time that Portuguese ships began making routine voyages to Virginiaand the southern coastline, the original homeland of an American people that areknown as the Melungeons. These Melungeons who have inhabited Appalachia from the beginning of theEuropean settlement days and possibly before, are known as a tri-racial isolates(Red, Black and White). There is a growing body of evidence that many of the“black” origins of these people are of Mediterranean decent, too. The culture ofAppalachia resonates with these theories, from their quilt making, to the Jewsharp, from playing the bones with the fiddle, to circle and square dancing. As I become more and more familiar with American music in my own musicaljourney, I also learn that the music I like so much has many layers. It exposesmystery in its origins when one cares to peel back these layers. It is likely theseMiddle Eastern cultures play more of a role in American fiddling (and Americanmusic in general) than previously thought. It has now been discovered that nearlyevery one of the bluegrass music pioneers, the patriarchs of the style, areidentified as Melungeon people. These genealogical discoveries were mostlyrevealed in our generation, an era possibly more sympathetic to accepting mixedrace backgrounds compared to a history of racism in the South.

For much of my own American music, I look for the ingredients of humanityintersecting as much as possible, creating an even more universal language madepossible by a vast melting pot of culture, a unique gathering and mixing ofpeoples from around the world.

2

In “Harmony” I use descriptive phrases printed in the score to indicate thetemperament and journey of the music. “Reaching Out” begins the piece with itsinviting and inquisitive drones. Through out the piece there are severalinterpretations of the material with canonic and fugal writing. These sections arenamed “Welcome Canon,” “Dance Fugue,” “World Fugue,” “Awaken Canon.” Othersections are dances “Little Voices Dance,” and “Awaken Dance For All.” The music of “Harmony” is based on the same material constructed in a slowtempo in the beginning, a moderate tempo in the middle of the piece, and a fastfiddling tempo near the end. In the fast tempo, there is a section that I call“Harmony with Modulation and Counterpoint.” It represents a fast pace world fullof changing keys and different dialogues that are not connected to one anothermusically, but somehow coexist, finding ways to compliment each other, whileproviding another kind of harmony and unique rhythm for each other. Thissection finally encompasses three independent voices, each played aggressivelybut grooving together at the same time. American music for me has constantly been a journey. A bit of a mini-memusicologist as a youngster with my own tape recorder, I went around to festivals,fiddler’s contests, and back porches across the South during the summer months.Eventually I learned who I was musically by embracing all of the peoples whobrought music here to this place. This constant exploration for me is an ongoingself-discovery of who we are. When I explore the seeds of American music, fiddle music, blues, Cajun, bluegrass,Appalachian… what comes back to me (and what I hope is revealed in my music)are many conversations… many voices blending as one. With hope in heart and music, I contribute “Harmony” on this painful day ofremembrance.

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