Weddings and Bar Mitzvahs
Victoria Bond
About this work:
Premiere: May 28, 1994; The Ringve Museum, Trondheim,Norway,
Linda Plaut; Recording: GEGA
Commentary: Musicians are traditionally called upon to entertain at important social functions. Two of the most common are weddings, familiar to all cultures, and bar mitzvahs, the celebration in the Jewish tradition of a boy's coming of age when he is 13 years old and takes his place among men. The ambiguity of these occasions is what intrigued me and what prompted me to choose a Yiddish folksong "Hat ein man eine weibele (If a man had a pretty, little wife). The words extol the virtues of the relationship, but advise the man to treat his spouse roughly if she disobeys him and to swing her around his head like a chicken by the neck. Such contrast in sentiment is expressed in the melody, which though simple and hauntingly beautiful, is never quite sure whether or not it is supposed to be cheerful. The violinist in this solo work, migrates through violently shifting emotions.
Year composed: 1994
Duration: 00:05:00
Ensemble type: Solo instrument, non-keyboard:Violin
Instrumentation: 1 Violin
Instrumentation notes: Subito Music Corporation
Attention: David Murray
504 Bloomfield Avenue
Verona, NJ 07044
Tel: (973) 857-3440
dbm@subitomusic.com