Father-Daughter Suite
-- Duet for Clarinet and Trumpet
Each of the three movements in the Father Daughter Suite represents a phase in the relationship between a father and his daughter. The staging directions for the performers are essential to the presentation of the Suite. In other words, the actions of the performers supplement the ideas in the music. In this sense, the performers are encouraged to act as well as play their parts.
Destination -- First Movement of Father Daughter Suite |
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The First Movement, Destination, begins with the father located down stage (closer to the audience in staging parlance,) positioned slightly stage left (to the right as you are viewing this page,) facing the audience. If a lighting crew is available for the performance, the first note of the trumpet is to be utilized as a lighting cue for a spot light. The position of the daughter (clarinet) is upstage (meaning farther away from the audience) with her back to the audience. Since the staging prevents the two performers from seeing each other to obtain visual cues, the score is written to be played "with independent tempi." Each player feeds off the musical phrases of the other. It goes without saying that no two performances will be exactly alike. |
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Stage directions for the father (trumpet) indicate that he is to slowly traverse the stage from stage right to stage left (moving from left to right as you view this page,) while the daughter slowly turns to face the audience and moves down stage (towards the audience.) At the end of the first movement, the two are side by side.
The composition was first performed by Anna Najoom, Clarinet, and Dennis Najoom, her father. Dennis had just purchased a Kuhlo Horn (an early 19th Century version of the trumpet, a favorite of Wagner,) and I wrote the first movement with this dark, operatic sound in mind. I was nervous about the inability of the performers to take visual cues from each other, but they seemed to have an instinct about know how to manipulate the floating meter. I later got Anna and Dennis to pose for photographs which illustrate the staging and the character of the movements. |
 Sound - 1st Movement -- Full Score - MP3 format |
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Dance -- Second Movement of the Father Daughter Suite |
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The Second Movement contains four dance themes of different styles and tempi. The performers are free to interpret the rhythms using any gestures or movement they please. Their activity is not specifically described in the score. |
Defiance --
Third Movement of the Father-Daughter Suite
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The Third Movement involves a confrontation between the two characters. At first, the father defends his authority. But later, it is the daughter who asserts her independence. Following each challenge," the two resolve their differences and eventually move to a point of acceptance.
At the end of this movement, the staging is the reverse of the first movement, with the father turning away and moving up stage while the daughter remains down stage, facing the audience. The cycle is complete. |
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