Air Music Explained
Air Music is a set of ten variations for orchestra by the American composer Ned Rorem. The work was completed in 1974 and was first performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on December 5, 1975. The piece won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Music.[1] [2] [3]
Structure
Air Music has a duration of approximately 20 minutes and is cast in ten movements:
- All players
- All players
- Woodwinds, piano and strings
- Solo tuba and violin with flutes, oboes, English horn, contrabassoon, and violins
- Three clarinets, three trumpets, snare drum, solo violin and strings pizzicato
- Trombone and cello, with piano, violin, and violas
- Flutes and violins
- Solo viola with bassoon, four horns, and harp
- Two oboes, English horn, violas
- All players
Instrumentation
The work is scored for a large orchestra consisting of three flutes (doubling piccolo), three oboes, four clarinets, three bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, percussion, harp, celesta, piano, and strings.
Notes and References
- Web site: Rorem . Ned . Ned Rorem . 1974 . Air Music . . November 15, 2016.
- Web site: Tsioulcas . Anastasia . Get To Know Ned Rorem, Now That He's 90 . Deceptive Cadence . . October 23, 2013 . November 15, 2016.
- Web site: Smith . Steve . An Eternal Youth, Now 90: Celebrating Ned Rorem's 90th Birthday . . October 25, 2013 . November 15, 2016.
