This past year has found many challenges for us as a society due to the Corona Pandemic. Part of the fallout has been the curtailment of much of the live music making we all take part in as performers or as consumers. This has seen concerts cancelled and the exclusion of brass and wind instruments from rehearsals in our usual venues. As a composer, working alone is par for the course and this time of social distancing has allowed me to be very productive, all with an eye to a future that sees a return to live rehearsals and concerts. During this time performers are looking to maintain playing skills, looking for music that is fun and engaging to play, but also useful in maintaining the skills they need to have at hand when concert venues open up again. Hopefully this suite will fit that bill.
A Suite of Musical Moments is a collection of eight dance movements written in the style of Cape Breton fiddle music but presented in the form of a traditional Dance Suite. The tunes are short with most being slightly more than a minute in length. They have been composed with the intention of providing the performer the opportunity to play something new and of interest while maintaining their playing skills with an eye to the future and a return to in-person rehearsals and concerts. These newly composed works are written in the style of the indicated dance forms and as part of the Cape Breton Island tradition of this music are named after my fellow musicians or the geographic and historical features found near where they live.
I do hope you enjoy performing these musical moments.
