{"id":2007,"date":"2018-11-07T11:14:18","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T21:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomas-osborne.com\/music\/?post_type=portfolio&p=2007"},"modified":"2019-08-25T10:21:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-25T20:21:21","slug":"summer-spirits","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/thomas-osborne.com\/music\/works\/summer-spirits\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Spirits"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_single_image media=”79704″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ shadow=”yes” shadow_weight=”std”][vc_column_text]When I received this commission, for the Fiddler X recital series in Minneapolis, I was intrigued by the stipulations that accompanied the request. The piece was to be based two very different sources: one of these was Bach\u2019s famous Double Concerto in D minor, and the other was some kind of East Asian music of my choosing. Having written for many Asian instruments, I was familiar with plenty of music from Asian cultures, but nothing immediately stood out as complementary to the Bach. In the end, I found my inspiration not in Asia, but in my proverbial backyard.<\/p>\n

In Hawaii, as in Japan, the summers are filled with Bon dances, festive ceremonies in which revelers welcome the spirits of their ancestors with music and dance. Perhaps the most famous piece of Bon dance music is \u201cSoran Bushi,\u201d a song originally sung by fishermen in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Like Bach\u2019s concerto, this is energized music, and in \u201cSoran Bushi\u201d jubilant shouting is interspersed with singing.<\/p>\n

In Summer Spirits<\/em>, I juxtapose elements of Bach\u2019s music with the Bon dance melody, at times quoting and at other times making veiled references to the source materials. While the Bach makes more direct appearances throughout, \u201cSoran Bushi\u201d emerges as time passes, finally revealing itself quietly near the end. And just before the piece finishes, for a brief moment, the Bach and Bon dance melodies are played simultaneously.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2 violins and piano
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