like black snow (trio) | for voice, clarinet and guitar by Frank A. Wallace

Composed August 11-15, 2012 in Lauda and Würzburg, Germany, and arranged and expanded in August 2013 for the Asteria Ensemble of Holland, like black snow is a short song cycle with interludes. The original three poems by my son Nathan G. Wallace (Gus), have adorned our refrigerator since he composed them with “fridge magnets” several years ago. Given that I accompany myself as a singer, these poems begged me to try a form that I had never used. Each poem is preceded by a lengthy introduction, virtually a guitar solo in between each song. After Gus heard my first rendition with clarinet representing the voice in a midi file, he was inspired to write a fourth poem with the request that it include a clarinet part with the voice.

Ferdinand Binnendijk of
Ensemble Asteria
on the Liuto cantabile

It was not until I heard the new CD of Ensemble Asteria that I decided to complete the project for them. So the clarinet became a liuto cantablile and the full form became four songs with liuto or clarinet and guitar accompaniments. Both versions were created simultaneously, but sbsequent revisions have only been done for clarinet, please write if you wish to see the liuto version.

Gyre Publications
Copyright ©2012 Frank A. Wallace
Cover photography and design by Nancy Knowles
All rights reserved.