Instrumentation: double bass and piano
Difficulty: Advanced (Grade 6)
Duration: ca. 4 minutes
Program Note: The name Argonauta bears within it a curious doubleness. It calls to mind, first, the voyagers who sailed the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. Yet it also belongs to a small and mysterious creature of the sea—an octopus with great eyes and outstretched, webbed arms, dwelling not in the hidden depths but unusually near the surface.
It was from this doubleness that the present work took its cue. I imagined a company of sailors setting out upon their course, only to be assailed, under cover of night, by strange cephalopods rising from dark waters. Their arms reach and twist across the vessel until the sailors are enmeshed in a struggle from which there is no easy release.
The music tells the tale in its own way. The restless octatonic scales, turning upon themselves and never quite at ease, are the creatures’ arms—forever writhing, forever reaching.
This piece was commissioned by Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist Jory Herman, who premiered and recorded it on his album Argonautical. I am deeply grateful for Jory’s artistry and collaborative spirit; the dedication, insight, and generosity he brings as a musician have been instrumental in bringing this work to life.
Document Sizes: The full (piano) score and double bass part are formatted for printing on letter (8.5”x11”) size paper, though these technically could be printed on any size paper.
Instrumentation: double bass and piano
Difficulty: Advanced (Grade 6)
Duration: ca. 4 minutes
Program Note: The name Argonauta bears within it a curious doubleness. It calls to mind, first, the voyagers who sailed the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. Yet it also belongs to a small and mysterious creature of the sea—an octopus with great eyes and outstretched, webbed arms, dwelling not in the hidden depths but unusually near the surface.
It was from this doubleness that the present work took its cue. I imagined a company of sailors setting out upon their course, only to be assailed, under cover of night, by strange cephalopods rising from dark waters. Their arms reach and twist across the vessel until the sailors are enmeshed in a struggle from which there is no easy release.
The music tells the tale in its own way. The restless octatonic scales, turning upon themselves and never quite at ease, are the creatures’ arms—forever writhing, forever reaching.
This piece was commissioned by Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist Jory Herman, who premiered and recorded it on his album Argonautical. I am deeply grateful for Jory’s artistry and collaborative spirit; the dedication, insight, and generosity he brings as a musician have been instrumental in bringing this work to life.
Document Sizes: The full (piano) score and double bass part are formatted for printing on letter (8.5”x11”) size paper, though these technically could be printed on any size paper.
