Instrumentation
Fl (=picc, alto fl), Cl (=Bcl), Pno, Vc
‘Ancient Places’ began in 2010 as a set of 3 short pieces for mixed quartet. I originally wrote them for a competition which give the contestants two weeks to write a five minute piece. I did it in one. Though I didn’t win, I was satisfied enough with the piece to add 2 additional pieces. Each piece is based on a small prehistoric monument found in Great Britain. Most of these can be found in the middle of a field or just off the side of a little used country road. I figured the small size of these monuments appropriately reflected the comparatively short length of the pieces. The titles of the 5 pieces are:
Sea Henge
Merry Maidens
West Kennett Long Barrow
Lanyon Quoit
Men-an-tol
‘Ancient Places’ was the winner of the Red Note Music Festival Composition Competition in 2016.
Premiere
2014