Three Bagatelles for violin, cello and piano
Moto Osada
About this work:
Three Bagatelles for violin, cello and piano was commissioned by Sachiko Kato and written for her Weaving Japanese Sounds concert series. As the term bagatelle implies, my purpose for this composition was to offer three short and light movements. The title of the first movement, Ama is the name of an ancient Japanese dance piece. The movement, also titled Prelude, is based on the rhythm of Ama, which has an introductory quality. The second movement draws upon a tune sung by an old man in a TV documentary program I saw many years ago. This simple melody with a syncopated rhythm was so haunting that it was engraved in my memory although I cannot recall the exact circumstance surrounding the original performance of the song. The third movement Bride’s Song is based on a Romanian gypsy traditional song of the same name. One aspect of the song I was particularly attracted to was its raucous atmosphere created by the use of odd meter rhythm, which became one of the characteristics of my version as well.
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:12:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Piano Trio
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, 1 Violin, 1 Cello