Birkat Haderekh – Blessing for the Road
Composer: Shulamit Ran
Publisher: Theodore Presser Company
$30.00
| Movement/Section | Duration: 8.75 |
|---|
-
From the composer:
"Birkat Haderekh—Hebrew for “Blessing for the Road”—begins its journey as a spacious, gently inflected solo clarinet melody, slowly unfolding as it gathers the other members of this clarinet quartet around itself, carving out a distinctive musical “space.” Looking at this piece in its totality, the opening phrase is, at some level, emblematic of the entire piece, as this single-movement composition of approximately 8 minutes can be heard as one extended, gradually evolving melody. At around mid-point of the piece, though, where the clarinet assumes the solo line again, this melody takes something of a turn. With just a small melodic twist, the music takes on an imploring quality, almost in the spirit of an invocation, gradually increasing in urgency, thus becoming a form of prayer—its potential perhaps hinted at, but not necessarily self-evident in the opening statement. In my own mind while composing the piece, and no longer just thinking in the strictly musical terms of the formation and development of sound shaped in time, the piece became, for all of its modest proportions, a parable of one of life’s journeys. I found myself thinking of the array of conflicting emotions associated with preparing for a voyage, destination uncertain, of someone precious. Anticipation, anxiousness, longing, hope—all mingled together. Perhaps it is a mother praying for her child’s well being; a small, private ritual that cuts across time and place, speaking to our common humanity." -
Performer / Ensemble Link Comments -
Pages: 4
Pages (score): 12
Publisher Code: 11441716
UPC: 680160626885
ISBN: 9781491111468
ISMN:
Length: 30.4 cm
Width: 22.5 cm
Thickness: 0.209 cm
Weight: 122 g
