KLANG

i.
ii. adagio
iii. teaching piece
iv. aria semplice
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM

I. This movement could have been entitled Toccata

scherzanda. After a wild introduction, the movement
erupts into a rush of activity, with the emphasis on the
frenetic solos of the viola. After a brief reminder of the
opening, the movement ends with a
flurry. The soloist and the ensemble
the
share material, but the soloist
highlight of
dominates.
the year
II. Adagio features long, flowing
lines, and gentle counterpoint. There
is rarely any sense of accompaniment
from any of the instruments, with the
viola functioning as a 1st among
equals. The movement is a very
loose rondo, but the form is quite free,
even meandering.

came Nov. 9
with Justin
Merritt's
Five
Preludes for
piano
-Peter
Schimpf,
Bloomington
Independent

who picks it up and fashions the idea to make it their

own. As the soloist introduces more and more ideas, he is
gradually subsumed into the texture. Only occasionally
does the soloist emerge to guide the ensemble to the next
idea. After briefly losing the initiative in a violent shift of
texture, the soloist reemerges as the teacher. The overall
structure is full of minimalist-inspired textures, that are
formed from tiny, slowly-evolving repetitions.
IV. The fourth movement is attaca from the previous.
This somewhat ironically entitled movement, Aria
semplice, crashes between a simple, folksy motive and a
series of highly charged dramatic gestures. The bulk of
the movement consists of an immense cadenza. Even
when the ensemble is playing, the viola is usually in a
completely different sonic world. The movement ends as
it began, with a long clarinet tone.
Klang is the German word for sound.
-notes by the composer

III. Teaching Piece introduces a very

different kind of procedure from the
rest of the work. In this movement, the viola introduces a
motive or idea and teaches it to the next instrument,
8 1 5 t h y e p a r k w a y n o r t h f i e l d , m n 5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 4 8 2 0 i n f o @ m o o n e a s t . c o m w w w. m o o n e a s t . c o m

justinmerrit

Several times I wrote "Wow!" next to

a work being played...
-Peter Jacobi, Herald Times

In
2 00 0
composer
Justin Merritt
(bn.
1975)
was the youngest-ever winner of the ASCAP
Foundation/Rudolph Nissim Award for Janus
Mask. He is also the winner of a host of other
awards including the 2008-09 Copland Award,
the 2008 Minnesota Orchestra Composer
Institute Prize for River of Blood, and the 2006
Polyphonos Prize

He received his Bachelors from Trinity

University and his Masters and Doctorate
from Indiana University.
He studied composition
demands
with Samuel Adler, Svenan audience's
David Sandstrm, Claude
attention
Baker, Timothy Kramer, Don Freund,
Merritt's
and electronic and computer music
piece was the
with Jeffrey Hass. He is currently
standout.
Assistant Professor of Composition at
-Rob
St. Olaf College.
He resides in
Hubbard,
Northfield, Minnesota with his wife
Pioneer Press
Yuedong and their children Cullen
Fang Ouxiang and Molly Fang
Qinghe.

INSTRUMENTATION
solo viola
flute
Bb clarinet
percussion (one player)
vibraphone, tubular bells, crotales (lower octave), 3 tom toms,
floor tom, bass drum, 4 suspended cymbals

violin
cello

8 1 5 t h y e p a r k w a y n o r t h f i e l d , m n 5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 4 8 2 0 i n f o @ m o o n e a s t . c o m w w w. m o o n e a s t . c o m

for Yuval Gotlibovich

Klang

Score in C
Dur.: ca 23'

for viola and chamber ensemble

Solo Viola

&2
4

Flute

&2
4

Clarinet

&2
4

Violin

&2
4

Cello

Lento melodrammatico
U
U
3
3
f

Justin Merritt

I.
3 > .

3 > .

3 3 3
3

3 .

poss.

?2

2 J
4
sfffz
sticks

Percussion

&2
4
Piano

?2

3
j
#
b b
J

Copyright 1999 (c) Justin Merritt (ASCAP)

Published by JMKrause
All rights reserved

3
! R

> .

10

port.

Solo Vla.

~~

~~

3
& #

>

Fl.

&

Cl.

&

Vln.

&

Vc.

Pc.

3 .

>

3 > .

3 >

b
#

b b #

&
Pno.

> >

()
-2-

3
J

3 q
J

&

16
Solo Vla.

poss.
slow 1/4 tone vib.

Fl.

&

n
slow 1/4 tone vib.

Cl.

&

n
slow 1/4 tone vib.

Vln.

&

Vc.

**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> > >
b

>>>>>>>
"

"

?
*
p
l.v. sempre
&

Pno.

>
>
# > > # > > > >> > >

**
>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > > > >

>
>

>>
"

4 Sus. Cym., knitting needles (or chopsticks)

Pc.

**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"
# j
.

? j

!
( ) * Stems without noteheads should be played ad lib. come sopra
** Stems without noteheads should be played as
chromatic figures in the shape of the line, ad lib.

b> > # >

f
-3-

&

#
> > >

> # > >

II. Adagio
Solo Vla.

B3

Fl.

&3
4

Cl.

&3
4

Vln.

Vc.

Molto adagio

&3
4

Sostenuto

#
p
Sostenuto

con sord.

#
p

b
J

poco

n 8 # .

2
4

5 j 2
# #
8
4

?3

&3
4
Pno.

?3

4
-41-

n #
#

5
8

5 j J
8
P

9
Solo Vla.

B2

Fl.

&2
4

Cl.

Vln.

Vc.

Sostenuto

#
p

&2
4 b

3
4 b .

2 b
4

3 b .
4

j
# 2 .
4

&2
4

j
#
.

?2

&2
4
Pno.

?2

4
-42-

j
b

3
4

3 .
4

3
4 .

j
b

III. Teaching Piece

Solo Vla.

Fl.

#
B ## # 4

q Elegant

# #
J
& # # 4
4

Cl.

Vln.

#### 4
J
&
4

Pc.

? #### 4 J
4

&

####

j
. .
J

j j j
.
.
P

4
4 P non pedale sempre
Vibes - very hard beater

# # # # 4 J
&

Pno.

j
. J. .

# # # # 4 J
&
4

Vc.

j
j
j
j
. . . J.
J
J
J
F

? #### 4

4
-55-

8
Solo Vla.

Fl.

Cl.

Vln.

Vc.

Pc.

B # # # # j . .
J

j
j
J
J
J

.. ..
J
J
J
f

# #
& # #
#### j
&
. . .

j j
j j
j j
j j
. . . . . . . . . . .

# #
& # #
? ####
# #
& # #
&

Pno.

j
. . . .
J

####

? ####

-56-

IV. Aria semplice

Solo Vla.

Fl.

Intense

>
J
sffffz

&

".

9"

Cl.

Vln.

Vc.

Pc.

&

J
sffffz

&
?

senza sord.

&

Lento con gravitas

arco
3
4 f

senza sord. pizz.

?
Pno.

J
fffffz

4"
".

fffp

,
3 > # > #U
J

fposs.

3 n
4
3

# #

# n

Sticks

>
& J

sffffz

Sos. (affix notes silently)

-87-

Rit.

n U ,# n
# - b 3
p
breve

# -

U,

b p
breve

a tempo

4
4

n - -

,
n - n - n -

#
f p sub.
w
f p sub.

8
Solo Vla.

Fl.

Cl.

Vln.

Vc.

bU .

&
&
&

".

6"

nU .

". 3

1"

3
j
4

fffffz

U
OO ..
..
$
U
OO ....
$

?
J
Presto possibile, furious

Pc.

&

Pno.

j
j j
.. # b. # n .. #
p
Simply

Tubular Bells, hammers

&

3
4

# n # b

non ped, lv sempre

b
J

# n

b
# n b ## nn b # b n # b n # b

3 # n b
# b n # b n # b
4

b # n b # b n #
b
#

3 # n b # n b

b n # b n b
#
4

-88-

OO ..
..
OO ....

13
Solo Vla.

Fl.

Cl.

Vln.

Vc.

U
B

& J

j "U
..
!

j
j
j
.. " b " b .. "
p

j "U U 4 b

4
# ..
p
!
Lyrical

#

3

& J
j
& OO

O
? O
J
scrape large sus. cym with coin,
tap the small sus. cym with triangle beater

Pc.

&
J
p

l.v.

&
Pno.

?
-89-

n
b

# n

n b

!
!
!

Janus Mask!................................................................................................................................
!
winds in 2s
River of Blood!...........................................................................................................................winds in 2s
Dervish!.......................................................................................................................................winds in 2s
Lachryme!............................................................................................................................string orchestra

!
!
!
!
!
!
!

solo

Corde natus!........................................................................................................................................SATB
Lamentations!.....................................................................................................................................SATB
Nativity!...............................................................................................................................................SATB
Adoro Te Devote!...............................................................................................................................SATB
Fire Sermon!..................................................................................................................SSATB & orchestra
Dissonance!...................................................................................................................................song cycle
Dhammapada!..............................................................................................................................song cycle
London Thoroughfare, 2AM!.........................................................................tenor, horn, violin, & piano
May Evening in Central Park.........................................................................................
!
baritone & piano
5 Preludes!............................................................................................................................................piano
Chaconne: Mercy Endures!................................................................................................................piano
Windchimes!.........................................................................................................................................piano
Standard Deviation!...........................................................................................................................violin
Veloce!.....................................................................................................................................violin & piano
Coupling!..............................................................................................................................................organ
Drum Break!.................................................................................................................................percussion

!
!
!
!

chamber

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

choral/vocal

orchestral

other compositions by justinmerritt

Ravening!................................................................................................................................string quartet
Invocation!..................................................................................................................................8 solo brass
The Day Florestan Murdered Magister Raro!..........................................clarinet, violin, cello, & piano
Trio!...............................................................................................................................violin, cello, & piano
8 1 5 t h y e p a r k w a y n o r t h f i e l d , m n 5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 4 8 2 0 i n f o @ m o o n e a s t . c o m w w w. m o o n e a s t . c o m