We are excited to continue our collaboration with the New York Women Composers (NYWC). This month, we present a piece by Marilyn Bliss.

Bio and other notes from Marilyn Bliss:

“Inspired by the beauty of nature, world culture, art, and literature, the music of Marilyn Bliss brings a breath of fresh air into any concert program. Her inspirations range from the paintings of Morris Louis and Piero di Cosimo, to Hindu, Native American, Greek, Chinese, Afghan, Celtic, French, German, and British literature and myths, to natural phenomena such as the aurora borealis and the flights of birds. A flutist herself, she has had special renown as the composer of works for the flute family, including piccolo, alto flute, Native American flute, and flute ensembles. Ms. Bliss studied at Coe College, at the University of Pennsylvania with renowned composers George Crumb and George Rochberg, and was a composition fellow at the Berkshire School of Music, Tanglewood.

Several of Ms. Bliss’s recent scores have featured the Native American flute, both as a solo instrument and in combination with other instruments. Ms. Bliss is currently President of New York Women Composers. Her music has been performed throughout the world; she has been a guest of the SS. Cyril and Methodius Foundation in Sofia, Bulgaria, and of the Fechin Institute in Taos, New Mexico. Her works have also recently been performed in Spain, Germany, the UK, Russia, Italy, and Armenia, a country which she has visited and received performances several times. Ms. Bliss is published by the American Composers Alliance and Mostly Marimba Productions, and her music has been recorded on several labels, most recently with Navona Records.” – Marilyn Bliss

Featured Work: Beneath the Azure Sky for soprano, flute, violin, and cello

COMPOSITION DETAILS

• Title: Beneath the Azure Sky
• Composer: Marilyn Bliss
• Year of Composition: 2004
• Instrumentation: soprano, flute, violin, and cello
• Movements: 3
• Duration of Work: 11′
• Number of Measures: 164
• Number of pages: 19
• Tempo: Lento; Moderato; Andante (but varies greatly within each movement)
• Difficulty Level: advanced/professional (but approachable for an upper intermediate cellist comfortable with changing meters, and neck positions through third or fourth position)
• Highest Position Reached: neck position (depends on fingerings)
• Techniques Employed: Double stops (a few sequential); tenor clef; arpeggios; changing meters and rubato; triplets; grace notes; florid writing
• Publisher: American Composers Alliance (ACA)
• Where to Purchase the Score: American Composers Alliance (ACA)
• Cost of Score*: $45.50 physical; $31.50 PDFs

Recording

Program Notes

“Beneath the Azure Sky is a setting in three movements of poetry by Afghan women. For many reasons, this poetry is deliberately anonymous and not written down: most Afghan women are illiterate, having been denied education by the society they live in. The poetry is often also startlingly intimate, revealing inner thoughts that would be deadly to express publicly; the poems are often addressed to lovers who would be killed if they were found out. The form of the poetry is called the landay, a very brief poetic form consisting of two verse lines of nine and thirteen syllables. I have chosen several different landays to knit together a narrative: the first movement is entitled “Love,” the second “Separation,” and the third “Exile.” The poetry became available to us through the courageous efforts of Afghan national poet Sayd Bahodine Majrouh, who surreptitiously collected them in oral interviews in Afghan refugee camps. Founder of the Afghan Information Center after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, he was assassinated in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1988. These poems were translated from Pashtun into French by Majrouh, and from French into English by the distinguished translator Marjolijn de Jager. Although my musical language is not folklike, I have attempted to create in this piece a clarity of expression to allow the words and emotions to communicate freely from performers to audience.” – Marilyn Bliss

A Collaboration with the New York Women Composers (NYWC)

The NYWC series at the Cello Museum was created to showcase its members who have composed works for the cello, informing cellists seeking new music to add to their repertoire, and helping listeners find new favorites. Many thanks to the NYWC for this wonderful collaboration.

Read other installments in the series here.

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*Prices are accurate at the time of article publication, but the Cello Museum cannot take responsibility for subsequent price changes.