Thea Musgrave

This Concerto was commissioned by the Feeney Trust for the City of Birmingham Orchestra and was written between March and November 1967.It consists of five sections and they are played without a break.

Score and parts for Thea Musgrave's Pierrot arranged for Violin Clarinet and Piano. Duration 17 minutes.

For Clarinet solo with wind quartet and string quartet. Score OnlyFirst performed by Michael Collins Clarinet London Winds and the Endellion String Quartet on 27th January 2011 at the Wigmore Hall London.Scoring:Solo ClarinetFluteOboeBassoonF rench Horn2 ViolinsViolaCelloDuration :circa 13 minutes'During a visit to the exhibition of Francis Bacon at the Tate Gallery in December 2008my eye fell on Figure in a Landscape 1945 which resonated in me powerfully. It is a sceneof devastation and despair and also it seemed to me of latent anger and hostility... butabove it all a serene blue sky beckons. So perhaps even in the darkest moments there is aglimmer of hope - the possibility of change.This idea became the starting point for this work - Towards the Blue - a mini concerto forclarinet who eventually becomes the leader of the group.The work starts without the clarinet and all is desolate yet fiercely argumentative discordant and uncomfortable. Suddenly the offstage clarinet is heard and the players insurprise are quietened. However when the clarinet enters and approaches with a lyricalmusical motif some of the players respond others resist. Gradually the clarinetpersuades the dissident voices to join him in a spirit of co-operation and harmony.A brief memory of the opening desolation casts a momentary shadow which is quicklydispelled by the coda marked Gioioso.'Thea Musgrave (May 13th 2010)Parts available for hire separately

Hear The Voice Of The Bard was commissioned by King’s College Cambridge and first performed on Christmas Eve 2013 at A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by the Choir of King’s College Cambridge conducted by Stephen Cleobury.Expertly composed by Thea Musgrave Hear The Voice Of The Bard is a setting of the William Blake poem Hear the voice of the Bard (1794).

This is a short work lasting only five minutes.It was written for Margaret Kitchen in 1960.

Composer's NoteNarcissus wanders through the forest observing enjoying ... unselfconscious but self-absorbed.He sees as pool of water and then as he approaches notices his reflection in the water. He is intrigued and then jumps back in fright. Once more he approaches ... it is still there. Narcissus steps away from the pool to consider this phenomenon. Several times he approaches the figure is always there watching him.In the shimmering sunlight Narcissus seems to see this glorious and attractive being moving in the rippling water. He is dazzled and slowly holds out his arms. To his amazement the figure responds.In awe and wonder Narcissusapproaches closer and closer. With a sudden change of mood Narcissus dances happily and playfully ... the figure echoing him. But then Narcissus begins to question anxiously the lack of any independent response...is he being mocked? He gets more and more aggitated and finally in a fury he rushes headlong into the water to grapple with the figure. The waves surge up and Narcissus is drowned. There is a distant shimmering vision of Narcissus and his reflection. Then in the setting sun the vision disappears the forest is empty and the pool lies undisturbed.Thea Musgrave

A Suite O Bairnsangs poems by Maurice Lindsay. Arranged for high voice and piano. Commissioned for Scottish Festival 1953.

This work was written in 1958. It was commissioned by the University of Glasgow under the terms of the McEwen Bequest.

A Song For Christmas was written in 1958. It is a setting of a 15th century Scottish poem sometimes attributed to William Dunbar scored for Soprano or Tenor solo with Piano accompaniment. It was commissionedby BBC Scotland and is one of the few pieces to date from the composer's brief phase of total serialism as testified to by the angular melody and declamatory texture.Thea Musgrave (b. 1928) is a Scottish-Americancomposer . Over a career spanning more than 60 years she has established herself as one of the leading contemporary composers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Thea Musgrave's The Last Twilight was composed in 1980 and is arranged for SATB and Brass Ensemble. commissioned by Anthony Branch and New Mexico D H Lawrence Festival the piece has a duration of approximately 13 minutes.