The Maiden Pearl

^{Duration: ca. 12′}

^{Instrumentation: flute, violin, cello, piano}

^{Score: View score}

^{Performance Note: The Maiden Pearl was written between June 2012 and June 2013. Its last movement was composed first (for the third annual Rapido! Composition Competition, which, alas, it did not win); the first two movements were added the following year.}

^{When I started The Maiden Pearl in 2012, my wife and I were the proud parents of a 2-month old named Lydia who I wanted to acknowledge – somehow – in my new piece. Accordingly, I took a little song about our daughter that my wife created for this piece (it has since become a regular feature of our singing to her) and incorporated it as the basis of the work.}

^{At the same time, I found myself listening to a fair amount of folk-influenced music (especially from the British Isles) and that influence, combined with the folk-ish quality of Lydia’s tune (which is, appropriately, in the Lydian mode), led me to give The Maiden Pearl an essentially straightforward, folkish quality that is unique among my music to date. (At the same time, the piece pretty much wrote itself and took on a life of its own: it may not be quite as simple as I suggest.)}

^{The first movement is cast basically as a jig or a reel. Several melodies are heard individually before they combine and an ominous drumbeat in the piano takes over.}

^{The second movement, Berceuse, is – like its title suggests – a lullaby. In it, an expansive opening flute melody alternates with a slightly brisker section featuring Lydia’s melody.}

^{The final Dance Variations are a bit more formalized: they begin with a Gymnopedie (cast mostly in 5/4) and a very off-kilter waltz. The last variation, though, returns to the stomping, rustic energy of the Introduction: the best description of it that I can think of is as some kind of cross between a jig and a hora.}

^{The work’s title is a translation of Lydia’s first and middle names, and I’m especially tickled that it would also make a good name for a pirate ship. And, of course, The Maiden Pearl is dedicated to my daughter.}