Product Description
Single-movement work for flute, clarinet, 2 violins and cello. "Pregón" refers to the melodic cries of Lima's street vendors, known as "pregoneros," who announced their wares while wandering the city streets until the mid-20th century. These vendors transformed commerce into art, creating short, improvised songs that described their productsfrom fresh fruit and potatoes to beverages of every variety. Among the most beloved of these street songs was the pregón for "revolución caliente" (hot revolution), a sweet roll made with sugar, cloves, and cinnamon, whose vendor's cry became a cherished part of Lima's sonic landscape. "Pregón" draws its melodic foundation from this famous hot revolution tune, weaving it together with quintessential Peruvian rhythmsthe spirited marinera and the graceful Peruvian waltz. Beyond its historical roots, the pregón represents something universal: an announcement, a proclamation of good things approaching. In our current era, this seemed particularly resonant. I hope the piece's buoyant, dance-like character serves as its own kind of pregóna musical announcement inviting us to anticipate brighter days ahead.
This piece was commissioned for the University of Birmingham Music Department's "Miniatures in Isolation" initiative during the 2020 lockdown, with the specific requirement that it not exceed one minute in length. Students from the Music Department recorded their individual parts remotely, which were then compiled by faculty members into a unified video performance and shared on social media.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.