| Program Notes | Loner was written in 1988 and is dedicated to my colleague and former teacher Samuel Adler for his sixtieth birthday, March 4, 1988. The piece, which is about seven minutes long, is a single movement work which consists of two sections; the first section begins with the performance indication "very fast and rhythmic" and the second part is marked "with controlled energy." Both sections are written in a tonality based around "C", although the first section contains music that is very chromatic. The second part features a repeating rhythm which strongly suggest C-minor tonality. The title "Loner" was chosen because the work is a single movement composition, and it also serves as a reference to the sturdy individualism that seems to be such an important part of Amercian composition--the willingness to experiment, to explore, and to engage in solitary pursuit of the unfamiliar. I should add that the commonly understood character of a "loner" is far removed from the personality of the dedicatee of the composition. Samuel Adler continues to be a major force in institutions and organizations that support new music composition, and he is distinguished as a supportive teacher of many young composers. |
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