Hiawatha Blues (fl, vln, vc)
Barbara Holm
About this work:
Years ago, while practicing the Larghetto of Dvorak’s Sonatina in G (transcribed for flute), I was reminded of Minnehaha Falls that I had often visited as a child. Some time after we moved back to Minnesota, there was an article in the Star Tribune which amazed me. To quote the September 5, 2005 article: “On Sept. 5 (1893) Dvorak journeyed to the Twin Cities to see the falls. Dvorak…thought up a melody on the spot. Not having a piece of paper handy, he jotted the notation for his “Minnehaha Theme” on his shirt cuff and later incorporated it as the slow movement of his Sonatina in G for violin and piano”. It is a variant of this that I have used as the theme for this piece. While studying the blues, I have found it interesting to note the often polymodal methods used, as well as suggestions of ideas that I have noted in Bach, and other earlier music. “Hiawatha Blues” was written for The Legacy Ensemble.
Year composed: 2009
Duration: 00:04:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Flute, 1 Violin, 1 Cello
Instrumentation notes: a blues composition for a classical trio