Of the Wing of Madness
Bruce J. Taub
About this work:
Of the Wing of Madness was written in 1985 for the 40th Anniversary of the Composers Conference at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and is dedicated to its Director, Mario Davidovsky. The title is taken from the Intimate Journals of Charles Baudelaire: "I have felt the wind of the wing of madness pass over me." The work is in three continuous sections which reflect the three phrases of the quotation. This piece is concerned with the development of an extremely dense texture and a consistent motor rhythm. There are twelve distinct polyphonic voices which enter one at a time in the first section. The second section repeats the music of the first, but with all twelve voices. The final section repeats the music for a third time as the voices are eliminated one at a time. The pitch material centers around the note D. Of the Wing of Madness is published by C.F. Peters Corporation.
Year composed: 1985
Duration: 00:10:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 10+ players
Instrumentation: 1 Flute, 1 Oboe, 1 Clarinet, 1 Bassoon, 1 Horn in F, 1 Trumpet, 1 Trombone, 2 Percussion (General), 1 Piano, 1 Violin, 1 Viola, 1 Cello, 1 Double bass
Instrumentation notes: Strings can be single players or small sections