Deadly Nightshade

Deadly Nightshade Theme on a 3rd Grade Rhythm

Amber Sheeran

© 2023, Amber Sheeran, ASCAP, all rights reserved

Deadly Nightshade Theme on a 3rd Grade Rhythm Instrumentation: Violin I Violin II Viola Cello Bass

Program Notes: This piece, as the subtitle may suggest, came about because of a rhythm that one of my 3rd grade classes made up. We were doing a little bit of “Erase and Replace” to work on the rhythm “ti-tika” or “eighth note-two sixteenth notes” for the non Kodaly people out there. The rule was there had to be at least one “ti-tika” in the rhythm at all times. By this point, the class had learned triplet and evidently, were feeling adventurous. So, after many rounds of “Erase and Replace” they eventually got to this rhythm:

I thought it was one of the coolest 8-beat rhythms I had ever encountered, so I told them I was going to save this rhythm and make something out of it. Once I had finished the piece, it needed a name, and despite the fact that the nature-themed title is very on-brand for what I usually name my pieces, I did not come up with this one. I was actually really struggling with a name for this piece until I thought, who better to name it than the kids that inspired it. So after a short lesson about matching the name of the piece to the sound of the song, they listened to the piece and gave me suggestions for the name. I was committed to naming it whatever they voted for, so for a little while, I was afraid this piece was going to be called “Deadly Chicken Nugget”. But the top three contenders ended up being You’re Next, The Night You Die, and Deadly Nightshade, with Deadly Nightshade winning the vote by 2 points. Honorable mentions include El Muerto, Hypnotize, and Nightmare.

Deadly Nightshade

Score

   

Theme on a 3rd Grade Rhythm



sul tasto

 sul tasto           

Violin I

Violin II

Viola

             pizz.

Cello

Contrabass

5

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

 

   

  







 

  

















3







 



                       sul pont.

  

Amber Sheeran



Ethereal ( = 52)



   







      

      



                        sul pont.

3 arco                         

3



© 2023, Amber Sheeran, ACAP, all rights reserved



2 9

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



            



13

Vln. I

 



 

 

 

Deadly Nightshade







         ord.           





ord.













                       3

3

3

                                                   



3

3

3





molto rit.

  

12 Con Fuoco ( = 144)

           ord.

3

            ord.

           

3



 3                3  3 3                                               

     3                                           3 3 3 3 3                                    3        3                          Deadly Nightshade

17

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

21 Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

 

 

  

                                           3

3

3

3

                    

3

3

3

                  

  





   

       



  

  





   

       



   

  





3

    3

3

3

       



  

 

25

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

 

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



3

3

3

  



 



     



 









    3

    3

   

3 3                                                        3 3   3 3                                                                             

29

Vln. I



3 3 3 3  3                                                          3 3 3   3                                                   3               

4 Vln. I

Deadly Nightshade

3

  

   

  

3

3

 

     

3

3

 

3

    

  

Deadly Nightshade

3 3 3 3                                                         3 3                                                              3                     3                                      3 

5

33

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



38

                        

          3                          

37

3

3

3

3

3

3





   





   





3



3



    3

3



          

      

 

    

6



41

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



 

               3



  

3



pizz. 















                              3 3 3  3                     

 

 

 







 



 

        

   3                                               3 3                                                

45 Vln. I

 

Deadly Nightshade



  

3



 

3

3

3



      



       

 

3

3







   

    

     

    

3



3



49

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



 



  



7

3 3 3     3 3                                        pizz.        



   



  53

Vln. I



     

Deadly Nightshade

 



 

   













     

                    

3

                 

3

3

       





    

    



3



 

3





  

3





     3

                       

3

 

       

   

         3

Deadly Nightshade 8



57

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



 

              

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

3

3

 3       

   63 



Ethereal ( = 52)



   3 3           3                                 3 3                3 3                              3                        3 3                         3 3 

61

Vln. II

3

3

                                             arco                                          arco            molto rit.

Vln. I

  

                             3  3

  

65

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



 



    

    





                

    

              



69

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

 



 

 



 9

             











 

Deadly Nightshade

                      



3

    

3



 

 

 



                    3





3                          



71





  



       pizz.

 

  

 





3          

sul pont.

 

Deadly Nightshade 10



73

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



 

              

77

Vln. I

















              

  



   

  



 







       



 







 

  





         3









       



                    3



 

       

  

 

sul pont. arco



80

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.



Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.













ord.

       

3





 

sub.

3

3

                      3

                          

  

 3

3

3

                                          3 3 

        3

          

 3   

 3                                 3 sub.            3 3                       3  3 sub.  3 3 3                      3  3 sub.     3 3                          3  3 sub.   

3

11

                     

molto rit.

             ord.                 

84

Vln. I

 

 

Deadly Nightshade 82 Fierce ( = 150)

3

3

3



                                                               div.