Lament for a Fading Woodland Spirit (duet)

8/14/2019 Lament for a Fading Woodland Spirit (duet)

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Lament for a Fading Woodland SpiritJeff SmithSlowly (M.M = 70 - 80)

Alto Sax

Flute 43 43

p

9

17

p

25

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8/14/2019 Lament for a Fading Woodland Spirit (duet)

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f rit.

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An experimental composition as part of the WheelSong doctoral research project.

8/14/2019 Lament for a Fading Woodland Spirit (duet)

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Comments on

Lament for a Fading Woodland Spirit

Jeff Smith

The Lament was composed for my oldest daughter in 2005, when she waslearning to play the clarinet. She and a friend (who was on oboist) wantedsomething they could play together that was a bit more interesting than theusual stuff played in rst year band classes. That meant that it had to havea fairly easy pace, be easy to read, and not have any fast note-changes. But Ialso believe that kids should tackle all the common notes in the range of theirinstruments fairly early, so this piece was designed to take them to the lowand high ends of their registers, where the school music rarely takes them.

The effect is a slow-moving, haunting melody, with ancient sounding har-

monies that, in my mind, suggests two woodland creatures bidding a sadfarewell to an honored elder who is passing on.

Originally composed for B clarinet and B oboe, that version of TheLament can be played on any two instruments that are in the same key.This version is arranged for Alto Sax and Flute (E and C instruments) aswell as Alto Sax and Clarinet (E and B ) which together cover most of thecombinations found in beginner band classes.

It may also be of interest to some people that The Lament was composedusing an experimental technique, as part of my doctoral research in computer

science.

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