Elias GERANOS

ScoresOnDemand

Elias, Brian Geranos

Score for sale (North America): http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.action?itemid=14010209 Score for sale (UK, Europe and other territories): http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/020602/details.html Information about the work and materials for hire: http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/8308

Chester Music Limited Part of the Music Sales Group

COMPOSER’S NOTE Geranos, an ancient Greek word meaning ‘crane’, was the term for two kinds of chain dance. Firstly, it was a dance invented, according to legend, by Theseus, who danced it for the first time in Delos after the rescue of the seven youths and seven maidens from the Labyrinth. The intricate movements of the dance were intended to represent the mazes leading out of the Labyrinth. Geranos was also a dance imitating the flight of cranes.

The names of many other ancient Greek dances, both sacred and secular, survive to tantalise us with their potent imagery. I became intrigued by these dances and with the connections between the dance, lyric poetry and music. In particular I was interested by rhythm as expressed in both dance and music and their use and juxtaposition of different types of basic metre. It is interesting that these basic rhythms are still just as prevalent in much of today’s popular dance music.

Geranos is in three movements of nearly equal length (fast–slow–fast), played without a break and preceded by a quiet introduction which is repeated in slightly modified form at the very end of the work. The chord used in the introduction dictates the material throughout the piece. The third movement shadows the first. The slow, second movement is sub-titled Adonidia, the name of a lament for Adonis, who was also known as ‘Gingras’. Women bearing images of Adonis and expressing the utmost grief proceeded through the street, singing and dancing to the accompaniment of the aulos gingras.

This work is dedicated to Susan Bradshaw, and it was completed in September 1985.

B.E.

This work was commissioned by The Fires of London with funds made available by the Arts Council of Great Britain. It was ďŹ rst performed on 5th November 1985 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, by The Fires of London conducted by GĂźnther Bauer Schenk.

SCORING Flute (doubling piccolo and alto ute*) Clarinet in B * doubling E clarinet* and bass clarinet in B * Violin (doubling viola) Cello Percussion (1 player): vibraphone, glockenspiel, crotales

j G

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one pair of paired crotales†, 3 large gongs (high, medium, low) jingles, hard felt stick with jingles attached, side drum, woodblock/cowbell/suspended cymbal ‘rigged’ with side drum.

Piano *Notated in C in the score †A pair of crotales of indeďŹ nite pitch, in the region

j 5 5 5 G

The two crotales should be slightly out of tune with each other. They should be played (pages 36-38) by striking one against the other, and damped by placing the two together.

Duration c. 18 minutes Study score on sale Order No. CH55865 Conductor’s score and instrumental parts on hire

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