Compositions

That Jewel-Spirit was commissioned by Lick-Wilmerding High School to commemorate the life of former student Moe Christie Nakamura. Sacred Mount Haguro links the words of contemporary American poet Penny Harter and the Japanese haiku by Matsuo Bashô (tr. W. J. Higginson). Bashô's haiku was written at Mount Haguro as a memorial poem; Penny Harter wrote "At the Top of Mount Haguro, Japan" while she and her husband W. J. Higginson were part of an international party following the Dewa section of Bashô's "Narrow Road of the Interior." The connections between “Momo” (the nickname of the beloved student who was an accomplished singer in her own right), Japan, and the USA are many. – HT

A cresset stone is a medieval method of lighting – a hollowed-out stone, filled with oil, with a lighted wick. Near the composer’s home in Ferndale, Wales, the ancient cathedral at Brecon contains a remarkable example of such a stone. It was this stone, in its stone cathedral context, which directly inspired the composition. The Cresset Stone is a meditation on stone and light which begins and ends in stillness. The inner sections contain references to the final Kyrie of an eleventh-century Gregorian chant. – HT

The Cresset Stone was composed during December 1993, in response to a commission from the Presteigne Festival, director George Vass, with funds from the Welsh Arts Council and Amadeus Stringed Instruments. It was first performed September 2, 1994, by Krzysztof Smietana at the 1994 Presteigne Festival.

Performed here by Francoise Groben, cello. Alternate versions are available for solo violin, or solo viola. (Audio excerpt is the beginning.)

Recording: Profil GARDENS OF ANNA MARIA LUISA DE MEDICI

A cresset stone is a medieval method of lighting – a hollowed-out stone, filled with oil, with a lighted wick. Near the composer’s home in Ferndale, Wales, the ancient cathedral at Brecon contains a remarkable example of such a stone. It was this stone, in its stone cathedral context, which directly inspired the composition. The Cresset Stone is a meditation on stone and light which begins and ends in stillness. The inner sections contain references to the final Kyrie of an eleventh-century Gregorian chant. – HT

The Cresset Stone was composed during December 1993, in response to a commission from the Presteigne Festival, director George Vass, with funds from the Welsh Arts Council and Amadeus Stringed Instruments. It was first performed September 2, 1994, by Krzysztof Smietana at the 1994 Presteigne Festival.

This version for viola is performed by Matthew Jones, viola. Alternate versions are available for solo violin, or solo cello. (Audio excerpt is the beginning.)

Recordings: Deux-Elles SONGS OF THE COTTON GRASS; Centaur Records ODYSSEY – New Music for Viola

A cresset stone is a medieval method of lighting – a hollowed-out stone, filled with oil, with a lighted wick. Near the composer’s home in Ferndale, Wales, the ancient cathedral at Brecon contains a remarkable example of such a stone. It was this stone, in its stone cathedral context, which directly inspired the composition. The Cresset Stone is a meditation on stone and light which begins and ends in stillness. The inner sections contain references to the final Kyrie of an eleventh-century Gregorian chant. – HT

The Cresset Stone was composed during December 1993, in response to a commission from the Presteigne Festival, director George Vass, with funds from the Welsh Arts Council and Amadeus Stringed Instruments. It was first performed September 2, 1994, by Krzysztof Smietana at the 1994 Presteigne Festival.

This version is performed by Alan Smale, violin. Alternate versions are available for solo viola, or solo cello. (Audio excerpt is the beginning.)

Recordings: Centaur Records MUSICAL LANDSCAPES OF HILARY TANN; Capstone Records CELTIC CONNECTIONS

In his short poem, “Boundaries”, R. S. Thomas writes, “Where does the town end / and the country begin? / Where is the high-water mark / between the grey tide and the green?’ These lines led the composer to recall the lichen-covered, low stone walls which crisscross the high mountain moorland behind her childhood home in Ferndale, Rhondda. In turn, the local image suggested the textural contrasts which underlie the piece as a whole – contrasts between fast, string-dominated passages (“moorland”) and resonant, brass-dominated passages (“stone boundaries”). The presence throughout the piece of bell-like sections is again inspired by the poem. When Thomas writes of farming within “the sounds of the bell / of the worshipping cathedral” he evokes a time when the mountain-top walls were monastic boundaries. – HT

The Grey Tide and The Green was commissioned by St. David’s Hall, Cardiff with financial assistance from the Arts Council of Wales and premiered 28 July 2001 for The Last Night of the Welsh Proms by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes.

Typically, moorland in Wales is to be found high on the central plateau. This is where the sky is close to the surface of the earth, and the surface consists of grasses, and mosses, and the occasional outcrop of lichen-covered granite. There is such a moor above the composer's home in Ferndale, South Wales. It is an ancient place of great bleakness and great beauty. The words of Welsh poet, R. S. Thomas, capture the hallowed quality of the Welsh moorland. Thomas' words directly inspired the piece and also suggested the use of additional text from the Vulgata. The Welsh hymn, "Rheidol", is echoed in the music and the piece ends with a quotation, in Welsh, from the words of the hymn. – HT

The Moor was composed during June 1997, in response to a commission from Mari Morgan and Eluned Jones of Tan-Y-Ddraig. Funding was provided by The Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande with the assistance of John Deaver and Elizabeth Gibson Drinko, and Evan E. and Elizabeth Davis.

Performed here by Cappella Clausura. (Audio excerpt is the beginning.)

Recording: Navona Records EXULTET TERRA: Choral Music of Hilary Tann

The Open Field was commissioned by the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra with funds provided by the New York State Council on the Arts. The piece was premiered on 22 April 1990 by the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Schneider. The commissioning body had asked for a piece, approximately ten minutes long, which featured the brass. I was already at work on the fanfare- like figures of the opening and closing sections when news came, first of the incredible, then of the terrible events in Tiananmen Square of June 1989. The freedom of mind which I had been celebrating in the opening of the piece seemed called into question and this questioning is reflected in the darker inner sections of the piece. When I first received this commission, I did not set out to write any kind of "documentary." In fact, the earliest "field" was from a poem by Robert Duncan (the first in his 1960 collection called The Opening of the Field, which begins "Often I am permitted to return to a meadow / as if it were a scene made-up by my mind, / that is not mine, but is a made place, ... "). However, I think it was inevitable that the piece became caught up in that unbelievable year which ultimately led to the breaking down of the Berlin Wall. It is for this reason, with deep respect, the piece is subtitled "in memoriam Tiananmen Square (June 1989)." – HT

Morlais Castle, near the composers’ home in South Wales, was destroyed by the Welsh in 1314. Only ruins remain. In fact, in many places, it is almost impossible to tell whether a particular mound of earth and stones is part of the rocky, bare landscape or part of the old castle walls. At one point a protruding piece of wall is evident. The rhythmical placement of the stone bricks in the partial wall lies in contrast to the haphazard placement of the rocks in the surrounding scree. The composition was inspired by this contrast -- a contrast between ruined castle walls and a landscape naturally strewn with rocks. Within this image there is also an implied contrast between the hustle and bustle of the former castle and its present bleak appearance, where the site of the castle is practically indistinguishable from the natural contours of the high moorland. – HT

Performed here by Alun Darbyshire, oboe; Matthew Jones, viola; Thomas Carroll, cello. (Audio excerpt is the beginning.)

Recordings: Deux-Elles SONGS OF THE COTTON GRASS

Morlais Castle is a seemingly haphazard pile of rocks near the composer’s first home in Wales. At one point a protruding piece of wall is evident. The rhythmical placement of stones in the partial wall lies in contrast to the boulder-strewn surrounding landscape. The composition was inspired by this contrast and also the implied contrast between the hustle and bustle of the former castle and its present bleak appearance where the ruin is practically indistinguishable from the natural contours of the high moorland. The Walls of Morlais Castle (mixed trio) was composed in fall 1998 when the composer was teaching in Nanjing Normal University. – HT

It was transcribed for strings in 2009 and was premiered in Merkin Hall NY, March 8 2010, by the N/S Chamber Orchestra conducted by Max Lifchitz.

Recording: North/South Recordings EXPRESSIONS

Short, dramatic, needs good brass.

Toward Dusk is an arrangement by the composer of the last movement of Water’s Edge, a piano duet for advanced students commissioned by the 1993 New York State Music Teacher’s Association Conference. The "edge" of the original title refers to the upper surface of the water as it reflects or refracts light. During Toward Dusk echoes of the previous two movements ("Dawn Light" and "From the Riverbed") are heard as the light gradually fades from view. – HT

Toward Dusk received its first performance May 6 2001 in Saratoga Music Hall, Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY, by the Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra conducted by Lucy Joseph.

Performed here by the Slovak Radio Orchestra, Kirk Trevor, conductor. (Audio is the beginning.)

The cycle, Songs of the Cotton Grass, evolved over six years with all texts by Welsh poet Menna Elfyn. These “reverse lullabies” -- in which a daughter lulls her mother to sleep -- recall the open, high moorland of South Wales, near the composer’s home. The first song, A Girl’s Song to Her Mother was written for mezzo-soprano Mari Morgan and premiered July 30, 1999 during a Celtic Weekend at the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg. The second song, Wings of the Grasses was composed for "A Garland for Presteigne” and received its first performance August 25, 2003 by soprano Gillian Keith with Simon Lepper, piano. In 2004 the “Girl’s Song” was slightly revised for soprano Janeanne Houston who recorded the two completed songs (on So Much Beauty, Elmgrove productions) and subsequently commissioned and recorded a third song, Vale of Feathers (on The Shining Place, Elmgrove Productions). Vale of Feathers opens with a slow, tolling figure inspired in part by the then-recent passing of Pope John Paul II in April 2005; the refrain “take me to the vale of feathers” echoes back to the first song of the cycle. – HT

(Audio excerpt is from an soprano/oboe version of The Vale of Feathers performed by Janeanne Houston, soprano; and Shannon Spicatti, oboe.)

Recording: CD Baby THE SHINING PLACE

Wales, Our Land was composed during late summer 2002 in response to a commission from the Welsh Heritage Program at Green Mountain College, VT. The text, suggested by the then-Director of the program Dr. John Ellis, is by an unknown Welsh-American slate quarryman. It speaks of the poet’s love of his country of origin, perhaps, even, his longing to return. It is this sense of longing for the homeland (in Welsh, hiraeth) which infuses the composition. – HT

Water’s Edge is in three interlinked movements, each of which may be performed separately. The “edge” of the title refers to the upper surface of the water as it reflects or refracts light. In the first movement (Dawn Light), the light is held at the surface, while in the second movement (From the Riverbed), the light dances through the upper surface of the water to the riverbed below. During the final movement (Toward Dusk), echoes of the previous two movements are heard as the light fades from view. – HT

The work was originally composed as a piano duet for advanced students in response to a commission from the New York State Music Teachers’ Association. The first performance was given at the NYSMTA Conference, 30 October 1993, at SUNY Purchase, NY. The composer’s transcription for string orchestra was premiered the following year (30 August, 1994) by the Presteigne Festival Orchestra conducted by George Vass, in Presteigne, Wales. The US premiere took place in Schenectady NY, by the St. Cecelia Orchestra conducted by Peter Bay, 6 November, 1994.

Performed here by the North/South Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Max Lifchitz. (Audio excerpt is the beginning of Mvt. 2: From The Riverbed.)

Recordings: North/South Recordings AMERICAN TAPESTRY

Water’s Edge is in three interlinked movements, each of which may be performed separately. The “edge” of the title refers to the upper surface of the water as it reflects or refracts light. In the first movement (Dawn Light), the light is held at the surface, while in the second movement (From the Riverbed), the light dances through the upper surface of the water to the riverbed below. During the final movement (Toward Dusk), echoes of the previous two movements are heard as the light fades from view. – HT

The work was originally composed as a piano duet for advanced students in response to a commission from the New York State Music Teachers’ Association. The first performance was given at the NYSMTA Conference, 30 October 1993, at SUNY Purchase, NY. The composer’s transcription for string orchestra was premiered the following year (30 August, 1994) by the Presteigne Festival Orchestra conducted by George Vass, in Presteigne, Wales. The US premiere took place in Schenectady NY, by the St. Cecelia Orchestra conducted by Peter Bay, 6 November, 1994.

Recording: Centaur Records MUSICAL LANDSCAPES OF HILARY TANN

Wellspring was specially commissioned for the Female Choir Competition of the 2008 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. The text pays homage to William Williams Pantycelyn (the hymn, “Heddiw’r ffynnon a agorwyd”), and the music pays homage to the hymn tune, Bryntirion, by A. H. T. Lutteroth. – HT

Windhover is based on the idea of flight from a falcon's point of view. Sections of slow soaring, where strength and detailed focus predominate, alternate with swifter sections, where the blurring of the rush of flight takes over. – HT

Windhover was composed for solo soprano saxophone in 1985. It has been recorded for flute on Capstone Records (CPS-8664).

Flute version performed here by Christianne Meininger, flute. (Audio excerpt is the beginning.)

Recordings: Arizona University Recordings OF ERTHE AND AIR; Albany Records DRAGON; Capstone NIGHT THOUGHTS AND FANCIES; Profil GARDENS OF ANNA MARIA LUISA DE MEDICI; CD Baby IMAGES OF EVE

The cycle, Songs of the Cotton Grass, evolved over six years with all texts by Welsh poet Menna Elfyn. These “reverse lullabies” -- in which a daughter lulls her mother to sleep -- recall the open, high moorland of South Wales, near the composer’s home. The first song, A Girl’s Song to Her Mother was written for mezzo-soprano Mari Morgan and premiered July 30, 1999 during a Celtic Weekend at the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg. The second song, Wings of the Grasses was composed for "A Garland for Presteigne” and received its first performance August 25, 2003 by soprano Gillian Keith with Simon Lepper, piano. In 2004 the “Girl’s Song” was slightly revised for soprano Janeanne Houston who recorded the two completed songs (on So Much Beauty, Elmgrove productions) and subsequently commissioned and recorded a third song, Vale of Feathers (on The Shining Place, Elmgrove Productions). – HT

A version for soprano and viola is performed here by Elizabeth Donovan, soprano; Matthew Jones, viola. (Audio excerpt is the beginning.)

Recordings: CD Baby SO MUCH BEAUTY; Metronome A GARLAND FOR PRESTEIGNE

Three interlinked descriptive movements.

Performed here by Lontano, with Odaline De La Martinez conducting. (Audio is the beginning.)

Recording: Lorelt BRITISH WOMEN COMPOSERS, Volume II

With the Heather and Small Birds, a celebratory overture for chamber orchestra, takes its title from a translation of a poem by Welsh Bard, John Ceiriog Hughes (1833-1897) -- in Welsh, "efo'r grug a'r adar man" from Nant y Mynydd. The last stanza reads "Son of the mountain am I/ Far from home making my song/ But my heart is in the mountain/ With the heather and small birds." For the composer, the image is of the high plateau of central Wales, within walking distance of the coal-mining valley of her childhood. It is a place of freedom, ancientness, and song (songs of the valley, and song of the skylark). – HT

The piece was commissioned by the 1994 Cardiff Festival, with funds provided by the Welsh Arts Council. It was premiered, September 17, 1994, in Cardiff, Wales, by the European Women's Orchestra conducted by Odaline de la Martinez; it received its US premiere, March 1 1997, in San Francisco, California, with the Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karla Lemon.

Recording: North/South Recordings HERE, THE CLIFFS