for fiddle
duration no less than 6.5’, recommended ca 9’
Irish Suite (2015) takes the concept behind J.S. Bach’s French Suites as its starting point, using the rhythmic materials of traditional Irish music and its various dance forms to create short tunes that combine to form an overall suite. The intention here is that the performer should already be familiar with the stylistic features of traditional Irish music and, as with the Bach Suites, that these are not required to be notated. The suite is bookended by two airs which, due to their ametrical nature, have been recorded on a CD accompanying the score (or at the links above) and the performer is required to learn these by ear. Each of the tunes in the suite is based on a modal prime of A. The suite starts with a completely chromatic pitch field (although centred on A) that gradually distils, through a process of elimination/alteration of certain pitches, to the mixolydian mode in the final slow air.
This piece is dedicated to the wonderful Zoë Conway who gave the première of this piece in the Teacher's Club, Dublin, on 19th May 2015.
Past performances:
07.09.2018 — Siobhán McCafferty (violin), The Stuart Room, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, London, UK
03.11.2017 — Siobhán McCafferty (violin), Wigmore Hall, London, UK
19.05.2015 — Zoë Conway (violin), ICC The Strung Series, The Teacher's Club, Dublin, Ireland
