...a collision of music and physics!

November 1, 2009 3:00 p.m.     

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Program

Bohuslav Martinů  (1890-1959)

Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola (Duo No. 1), H. 313

Susan Eddlemon, Violin                               Hillary Herndon, Viola

 Michael Colgrass  (1932-)

Variations for Four Drums and Viola

Hillary Herndon, Viola                                 Scott Eddlemon, Percussion

                                             Intermission

 Scott Eddlemon  (1955-) 

World Premiere          Quintet for Geiger Counters 

Susan Eddlemon                                           Karen Kartal

Hillary Herndon                                            Ihsan Kartal

                                     Scott Eddlemon

 Kenneth Jacobs  (1949-)

World Premiere          Forever I Have Known You

(But Knew Not Where You Were) for Melinda

 Susan Eddlemon, Violin                               Karen Kartal, Violin

 Hillary Herndon, Viola                                 Ihsan Kartal

                                   Scott Eddlemon, Percussion

Program Notes

Physics of music…

For our demonstration work of the physics of the viola, we turn to Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola.  Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů studied at the Prague Conservatory (1906-10), then worked as a teacher and orchestral violinist before going to Paris in 1923. There he studied with Roussel and developed a neo-classical style, sometimes using jazz.  When Martinu wrote this duo he was recuperating from a dreadful accident: He had broken his skull in a fall of over ten feet to concrete. During his recuperation he concentrated on chamber music because it was easier to write pieces for a half-dozen or fewer instruments than to write orchestral music, which requires a composer to fill in over as many as two dozen or even more staves of music.  This work was written for Susan’s teacher, Joseph Fuchs and his sister, violist Lillian Fuchs in 1947.

Music of physics…

In recognition of Richard Feynman’s interest in drumming, we present the Colgrass’ Variations for Viola and 4 Drums.  This work was written very early in Colgrass’ career (1959), while he was in New York. The work was commissioned by Emanuel Vardi, and was premiered by Vardi and Colgrass at the Five Spot Cafe in New York City. It has become a standard in the viola literature. The "4 Drums" are roto-toms, which are small, shallow drums tuned to encompass all the chromatics between middle c and the e-flat below. These are tapped variously with small-headed timpani sticks, wool-covered and exposed-tip sticks, and by hand.  Scott first performed this work in 1975 at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy with violist Walter Trampler.

 

In a unique display of musical physics instrumentation we present Quintet for Geiger Counters. The Geiger counters, portal monitor and surgical gamma probe used in the work are provided through the courtesy of Wm. B.  Johnson Instruments, Care Wise Medical Products and Pulcir, Inc.  The three movements of the quintet are entitled “Quiet Nights at K-25,” “Last Tango at Y-12” and the finale, “La Fiesta(ware) X-10.”  The finale incorporates the use of dishes called Fiestaware which, according to Joe Eddlemon, contains uranium oxide in the pigment.  Joe relates an incident in the 40’s in which an Oak Ridge National Laboratory employee was checked for radiation exposure because his film badge indicated high dose rates.  It turns out the employee placed his badge on a Fiestaware dish every day when at home.  This work concludes with an “alarming” climax.

 

Forever I Have Known You, But Knew Not Where You Were is a work commissioned by Isotone from UT composer Ken Jacobs in honor of Richard Feynman.  It apprises four Movements for string quartet and percussion and is dedicated to Melinda, the Composer’s Wife.  Gentle and lyrical but also lively and energetic, the ideas for this work came about as the direct result of the composer’s courtship in 2008–9. All of the movements are the same length except for the third, which is slightly shorter. Syncopated and sensuous, the work employs the traditional string quartet (two violins, viola, and cello) plus percussion instruments – glockenspiel, chimes, vibraphone, marimba, bass drum, tom-toms, tam-tam, suspended cymbal, tambourine, and especially timpani. In fact, the timpani play a role as important as the strings. The title was inspired by the feelings aroused upon meeting the composer’s soul-mate – after so many years of searching.

                 

February 22, 2009 Concert

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November 2, 2008 Concert

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