Product Description
Pax Aeternam was written in memory of renowned composer Barbara York, a fellow Canadian whom I was blessed enough to meet in person through my interaction with Matt Brown. Though we connected many years into my collaborative piano career, Matt is the first tubist I ever worked with, and Barbaras music was my favorite part of getting introduced to the tuba literature. I was thrilled to learn how much she appreciated my playing of her work.
How Beautiful was written in memory of Matts son Eli, who had a congenital condition that took his life a few hours after he was born. This flawless piece of music, poignant yet never maudlin, provided the title for a recording Matt and I did of all of Barbaras tuba output. It also threw down the gauntlet when Danny Rowland approached me, at Matts suggestion, about composing a piece. Danny mentioned loving How Beautiful, and intending to commission Barbara, whod recently passed on. Id never written for the tuba before, but felt absolutely no pressure. Thats a lie.
Like How Beautiful, Pax Aeternam is in a major key; in my case, I wanted to evoke wistfulness rather than despair. Barbaras path was full of suffering, and having lost a brother to prolonged illness, Ive come to embrace the idea that death can be a sweet relief from pain. I tried to capture some of Barbaras spirit, particularly in the middle section, and chose triple meter to give the outer sections a bit of swing. I dont recall Barbara as a somber person, and I wanted to paint a portrait of someone who moved through life with a smile. I didnt know her as well as many, but I always found her kind, generous, and unpretentious. I hope that this musical portrait does her justice.
I created a cello transcription for a performance with Sara Male, my partner in Duo Chiaroscuro. This seemed appropriate, since Still Waters Running Deep, one of our signature pieces, is a transcription of the slow movement of Barbaras bassoon sonata, created at our request by the composer.
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.