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Un Dulcito

PDF Score of the String-Orchestra version (2 MB)

This suite of Latin American dances came about from a request from Jacksonville Symphony players Piotr Szewczyk and Alexei Romanenko for a 3 minute piece for violin and cello duo--the result was Tangle, a tango. They have performed the piece several times, and here (with the performers permission) is a studio recording of Piotr and Alexei, aka
VnC Duo, performing Tangle:

I really enjoyed writing it and so was inspired to write the other movements, and then to adapt them for string orchestra--I am also planning a version for string quartet.

I. Hoodoo. The inspiration for this is the samba, and the pizzicato strings were meant to be reminiscent of bongos or congas.

II. Tangle. A tango. I used the same tune in the first and last movements, but with different rhythms and octave palcements.

III. La llorona (The Weeping Woman). I wanted a piece in a triple meter to compliment the other dances in duple time, and decided to set a folk song if I could find one I liked. So I checked out a couple of Spanish folk song books from the library and stumbled on this one. It unfamiliar, but I researched it a little it turns out to be a very famous Mexican folk song inspired by the ancient legend of a woman whose ghost is doomed to wander the waterways for eternity in search of her children whom she had drowned. This gloomy tale put me in mind of the Dies irae from the mass for the dead, so I use it as a counterpoint to the beautiful waltz-like melody, and the harmonic implications of the phrases seemed perfect for a chaconne-like setting, so that's how I proceeded. Other than switching the meter to 6/8 from 3/4 I've tried to remain faithful to the original -- this is basically just the tune played through twice, with a little bit of an introduction before and an interlude between.

IV. Rumor. A rumba. It ends with a brief reprise of Hoodoo to round out the suite.

Here is a June 19, 2009, performance of Hoodoo by the students of the "Primo Orchestra" at the Prelude Chamber Music Camp (Jacksonville, Florida), conducted by Camp co-founder Vernon Humbert. Great job! and especially so since the mostly middle and high school students had only about three or four brief rehearsals in addition to their chamber music lessons and all the other camp activities!