David Noon- Hymn Variations
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For several years, the saxophonist Paul Cohen talked to me about
writing a
one-movement piece of chamber music that would include soprano
saxophone.
The result was Hymn Variations op. 108 (1991) for violin, soprano
saxophone,
cello and piano. In deciding on the musical material of the piece, I
naturally turned to the wealth of hymn tunes that I had heard in church
since I was a little child. The rich repertoire of hymn tunes found in
almost any hymnal has often been the source of inspiration and actual
musical material for American composers. I myself have always felt
especially close to the choral music of the Sunday morning service. In
some
way, it seemed to encapsulate the history of my own family in America.
My
first ancestors in this country were religious separatists: Amish,
Mennonite, Church of the Brethren, who came to this country for
religious
freedom. One of my first musical memories is that of hearing my
Grandmother
Noon sing hymns: she was a local church soloist who even sang hymns on
the
radio.
For my Hymn Variations, I have used four of my favorite hymn tunes:
"Resignation" (found in Walker's Southern Harmony,1835), "Land of Rest"
(an
American folk melody), "Wondrous Love" (an American folk hymn, c. 1811,
that
is found in Walker's Southern Harmony, 1835), and "Kingsfold" (found in
English Country Songs, 1893, and subsequently arranged and harmonized by
Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Anglican hymnal of 1906).
David Noon |
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