Armando Bayolo
Ritornello
for large ensemble or chamber orchestra
Olibel Music
Armando Bayolo Ritornello
Written in 2006 in Alexandria, Virginia for Great Noise Ensemble. Revised in the fall of 2023 in Florissant, Missouri for the Illinois Modern Ensemble at the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign.
Duration: ca. 8 minutes
Instrumentation
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet (in B-flat)
Bassoon
Horn (in F)
Trumpet (in C)
Trombone
Percussion (1 player)
Glockenspiel
Marimba
4 Tom-toms
Snare drum
Kick drum
Guitar or Harpsichord*
Piano
Strings (min. 11111, max. 66342)
*In performances with more than a single string player to a part, the guitar should be replaced by a harpsichord. In smaller groups, if no guitar is available the part may be replaced with harpsichord (or synthesizer).
Program Note
In 2006, when my band, Great Noise Ensemble, was in its infancy, we needed repertoire. More than anything, we needed a concert opener for our first concerts of our second season. Ritornello served that purpose.
Ritornello iis based on material from Michael Praetorius’ (1571-1621) Christmas motet/concerto, “Puer Natus in Bethlehem” from his Polyhymnia Caduceatrix et Panegyrica (1619), whose rhythmically vibrant refrain reminded me of the postminimalist music I loved as a young composer. The original version was never fully satisfactory to me, however, so I shelved it. It wasn’t until almost two decades later that I undertook a revision that, I think, fulfills the piece’s full potential.
--Armando Bayolo Florissant, MO 1.9.2024
Ritornello
(2006Rev.2023)
Flute
Oboe
ClarinetinB
Bassoon
HorninF
TrumpetinC
Trombone
Marimba
Guitar
ViolinI
ViolinII
Viola
Cello
DoubleBass
Piano
ArmandoBayolo
Bsn.