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Christopher Cerrone

The Naomi Songs

version for amplified voice and sextet

(2015 (arr. 2017))

Text information	Text by Bill Knott
Duration	7'
Commission	Commissioned by  the Albany Symphony Orchestra with Funds Provided by the Music Alive Residency Program of New Music USA. Text used with the kind permission of Robert Fanning, executor of the William Knott Estate. This version specially created for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Summer 2017.
Premiere	May 15, 2015; The Curis R. Priem Experimental Music and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), Troy, NY; David Alan Miller, conductor • Theo Bleckmann, voice Version for sextet premiered July 28, 2017; Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble • Kevin Noe, voice
Language	English
Instrumentation	Flute Clarinet in B-flat (doubling Bass Clarinet) Percussion (5 Octave Marimba and Vibraphone) Piano Amplified Voice (with electronic looping or tape) Violin Cello
Technical requirements	See preview page for amplification and processing details.
Publisher	PSNY

Media

Program Note

I discovered the poetry of Bill Knott through my friend Eric Shanfield, who dumped a series of interesting documents that he’d found on the internet onto my hard drive. Among these was an unadorned file set in Times New Roman titled “ALL MY THOUGHTS ARE THE SAME, the collected poems of Bill Knott.”

I poured over this curious volume which the author (then living) posted on the internet for free. What I discovered was a humorous and passionate writer of short poems. I was particularly taken by a series of four poems that were all addressed to a mysterious Naomi. Later, when I heard he had died in late 2014, it seemed to appropriate to memorialize him with a short song cycle based on his poems.

Since each one of these short songs is concerned with love, I decided to put the entire piece in the same key (F) with each song in a different mode (different minor and major scales). The melancholy first song, “The Beach,” channels French Impressionism punctuated with pizzicati. The second, “I left” luxuriates in long, sensuous melismas. The third “When our hands are alone” is a moment of safety and repose (featuring either electronic looping or two extra voices). And the final—“What Language Will be Safe?”—returns to the opening song, with an unexpected resolution.

- Christopher Cerrone

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solo part and piano reduction (Digital)

solo part and piano reduction (Print)

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Full Score/Performance Score (Digital)
The full score serves as a performance score for all players. A score PDF file is delivered via email upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. An email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer's email address.

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A print edition of the score and part(s) ship to the customer's address upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. The email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer.

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A print edition of the score is shipped to the customer's address upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. An email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer's email address.

Full Score/Performance Score (Print)
The full score serves as a performance score for all players. Print edition(s) of the full score/performance score are shipped to the customer's address upon receipt. Multiple copies are included if the work has more than one player. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase.

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A PDF file of the choral score is delivered via email upon receipt. The set is priced to allow multiple copies of the PDF to be printed for performance by the purchasing organization only.

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