Composition -
Rushmore
By Chaz Warren January 2023
 
A B B Gb
 
 
Open quartal harmonies are often associated with the great plains states of the US. This piece is offered as a tribute to the four great United States presidents depicted majestically on Mount Rushmore.
-- Chaz Warren
 
 
Beautiful harmonies and gentle swirling eddies ripple through this low-key quartet, evoking daybreak through the clouds on the massive mountain sculpture. A brief pointy fugal section interrupts the serenity and gets all the parts into vertical alignment for the next series of episodes, before returning to the soft weaving lines that lead us to the optimistic ending. All parts remain in the comfortable range with some low F#’s in the Alto and Bass 1; the Great Bass enjoys low notes for most of the piece, sometimes dropping down from an octave above. Technical demands are light and accidentals are few, but some precise articulation markings are used throughout, mostly staccato and tenuto to underscore contrasting note lengths. The composer adds helpful instructions of “Solo/Soli/Lead” and “ord.” (= ordinary) to guide the players as their parts move between foreground melody and background support.
-- Glen Shannon

Performed by the composer:
Listen to all parts
No alto - you play alto
No bass 1 - you play bass 1
No bass 2 - you play bass 2
No great bass - you play great bass
 
 
No. of Recorder Parts:
4
Difficulty:
Moderate
Occasion:
Any
Libraries:
New Music for Recorder, Play-alongs
Date Added:
09/12/2023
Style:
Concert, Laid-back/Slow, Recorded Accompaniment