Faye-Ellen Silverman

Stirrings

Year: 1979

Duration (in minutes): 13'39;

Difficulty: High (professional)

Category: orchestra and chamber orchestra

Publisher: Subito Music Corporation

Description: As the title suggests, “Stirrings”, for chamber orchestra, is about musical growth and movement. Hence it begins quietly – timpani pianissimo (almost an indefinite pitch), and then low notes in the double bass, played pizzicato, gradually joined by other strings. Winds also enter in stages and in their lower ranges, e.g. the alto flute, accompanied by the second horn, which begins the entrances of the winds. As the piece progresses, the lines and ranges expand, and the strings gain sharper definition as they move from pizzicato playing to muted arco playing and, finally, to arco but without mutes. The work, in one movement but with contrasting sections, ends with a large climax that culminates in a fast coda.
1/1/1/1 2 horns, timpani, 1 percussionist (can also play timpani part), strings