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Instrumentation: |
Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano and Clarinet |
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Duration: |
20 Minutes 1. Who Is At My Window Weeping? (4'30") 2. The Banks of Newfoundland (3'30") 3. Leather Britches (4'45") 4. Early Spring (5') 5. A Rambling Young Fellow (3')
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Premiere Performance: |
May 27, 1986, Corner Brook, NF (Hodgett/Simon) |
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Performances: |
September 27, 1986, Sackville, NB (Neilsen/Kortgaard) |
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September 30, 1986, Corner Brook, NF |
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January 28, 1987, Halifax, NS |
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March 12, 1987, Antigonish, NS |
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March 26, 1987, Delta, BC |
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July 11, 1987, Comox, B.C. |
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September 16, 1987, Corner Brook, NF |
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November, 1987, various sites in England |
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January 23, 1988, St. John's, NF |
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November 10, 1988, Bangor, Maine |
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March, 1989, Victoria, BC |
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April 24, 1992, Victoria, BC |
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May, 1995, Fredericton, NB |
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August, 1995, Victoria, BC |
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June, 18, 1999, Vancouver, BC (Leroux/Thorpe) |
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January 25, 2000, Charlottetown, PEI (Parmiter/Landry) |
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January 28, 2000, Charlottetown, PEI (Parmiter/Landry) |
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January 23, 2004, Charlottetowne, PEI |
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Broadcasts: |
Numerous (CBC) |
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Sample Performance on CD |
Performance of May 1995 (Soprano) Performance of April 24, 1992 (Mezzo-Soprano) |
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Sample Performance Quality: |
Excellent |
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Five Newfoundland Folksongs, Op. 32 were written between December 1985 and January 1986. They were written at the end of a difficult year for me and represent the completion of my first major work in two years. These songs have had a very therapeutic affect on me, reminding me that, for all our pretentious dreams of creating that one great masterpiece, it is still the simplest and least complex music that can truly touch our souls. From the tremendous legacy of Newfoundland folk songs, I have chosen five that are perhaps not very well-known. I was drawn to their beautiful melodic and lyrical content and hope that my settings do them justice. I would also hope that performers of these songs would still feel free to enjoy that same sense of tradition that the original Newfoundlanders enjoyed when they sang these songs. The five songs were taken from: Peacock, Kenneth, Songs of the Newfoundland Outports, vol. 1 and 2, National Museum of Canada Bulletin 197, Anthropological series 65, Ottawa, 1965. Used by permission. |
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1. The Performance of January 28, 1987, Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax Mail-Star, January 29, 1987: Stephen Pedersen Michael Parker's clever arrangements of Newfoundland Songs for the dangerously parsimonious orchestration of clarinet and voice revealed the hand of a craftsman. The vocal line sticks closely to the folk melody, while the clarinet contributes rhythmic accompaniment, harmony, counter-melody and commentary. At times, Parker's athletically active clarinet writing sails dangerously close to the wind of overachievement, but the end result is satisfying, and not too whimsically cute, as happens in most folk-song arrangements. |
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