For Arnold Schoenberg   (2011)

Alto Flute, English Horn, Violin, Cello, 2 Guitars

Composed for the Cygnus Ensemble

Premiered at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, May 2011

(excerpt)

Program Note

For Arnold Schoenberg is a continuum of hexachords, first played by the full ensemble and gradually tapering off until the two guitars are left sounding on their own at the work's end.

The title is a half-ironic dedication, as the work's harmonies are derived from the 12-tone row of Schoenberg's Suite für Klavier, Opus 25, transformed into something that is quite un-Schoenbergian (though a few faint echoes of the Suite may be heard near the work's end).