Fireflies
Andrew Earle Simpson
About this work:
Fireflies: A Folk Set for Flute and Guitar (2007-08)
program notes
Andrew Earle Simpson
Fireflies, was commissioned by Red Cedar Chamber Music, and is dedicated to them. It was the final piece written for them as Composer-in-Residence. Fireflies was premiered in June 2008 in Marion, Iowa, just days prior to the devastating floods which engulfed the Eastern Iowa region. Fireflies will appear on a new CD of my chamber music, also entitled Fireflies, to be released on the Fleur de Son Classics label in early 2009.
Fireflies is inspired by different types of American folk music, and as such, represents a personal catalogue of favorite folk styles. Of the piece’s six movements, four are based on original melodies, and two are based on pre-existing tunes. The stylistic range of the set encompasses blues, mountain “fiddle” and “picking” music, revival hymns, and folk-pop songs.
Each movement of Fireflies is a separate piece in a “set,” which folk musicians might play during a gig. This term seems more appropriate than “suite,” given the nature of the set’s subject matter. The six movements can be played separately, or together in any order, and any combination.
1. “In the Sunflower Patch”
This is an original tune, a straightforward, bright, happy melody, with a slightly cloudy middle section for contrast. This melody returns in later movements.
2. “Intake Manifold”
This piece is an “urban blues”: gritty, tough, and edgy. Both flute and guitar use blues and rock-inspired gestures. The images implied in this music are oily garage floors, chrome bumpers, tools, and cigarettes. This is also original music.
3. “Stars in my Crown”
Although the melody is original, the movement title is taken from a well-known revival hymn, “Will There be any Stars in my Crown?” The flute presents a melancholy, slow tune. The original performance featured a 19th-century flute, which lent a haunting Celtic sound to the piece, although this music can of course be played quite effectively on a modern flute. The guitarist hums near the end of the movement, adding a vocal element to the piece.
4. “Sun on the River”
This is a movement, although again original, which is based on a style which I call “John Denver” music. That style of music, consisting of flowing broken-chord patterns in the higher parts of the guitar, has always held an appealing, gentle softness for me. The flute takes a highly vocal part and rides serenely above the guitar’s accompaniment.
5. “Hallelujah! I’m a Bum”
This is the first movement based on a pre-existing tune, although the movement begins with a reprise of “In the Sunflower Patch.” I came across “Hallelujah! I’m a Bum” in Carl Sandburg’s The American Song-Bag, and was immediately struck by its irreverent humor. It may have been popular as a hobo song during the Great Depression (although Sandburg credits it with even earlier origins). Its original manifestation, however, was a revival hymn: “Revive us Again,” and “Hallelujah!” is a parody of that.
The movement is headed, “Rambunctious, unruly, and irreverent – with beer!” If one imagines the singer of this song having perhaps had a tipple too much, and joining some friends in this song, it gives a good idea of the desired style.
6. “Sweet By and By”
This tune is likely known to many, as it is the hymn, “In the Sweet By and By.” But it is not a straightforward arrangement of the song. Because it is the final movement of this piece, music from each of the previous movements makes an appearance, and sometimes several of the melodies are woven together in a “summary” texture. Fragments from other movements make appearances through the finale.
The guitarist again sings in this final movement, joining an “echo chorus” to the refrain. An echo chorus is the part assigned to men in some styles of church singing, in which the words of the melody, sung by the women, are echoed in a simpler line by the men.
--Andrew Earle Simpson (July, 2008)
Year composed: 2008
Duration: 28:00:20
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Flute, 1 Guitar (Classical/Acoustic)
Instrumentation notes: flute and guitar duo