28E0336F-FA00-43AE-9B5D-35EE381D9516

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ID28E0336F-FA00-43AE-9B5D-35EE381D9516
TitlecodeR00182
Title NameExtant for Solo Bassoon and Eight Players
Marketing CopyThis work for solo bassoon with a chamber accompaniment of 8 players is in two movements.
InstrumentationBassoon Solo: Flute, Clarinet (d BCl), Perc(1), Harp, Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello
CommissionCommissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University
Dedication(not set)
Program NotesExtant began its life in 1996 as a three-minute tenth birthday present for XTET. Beyond the punning nature of the title, I had been thinking about how lovely and relatively uncommon the bassoon is as a soloist with a new music group. I had also been thinking with a certain sadness about how remarkable it is these days that any new music group lasts ten years in this country's artistic climate. So, here we are; unlike the dodo bird, we are extant. The chance to expand this piece came from David Stock and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, still extant after more than twenty years.

The first movement (of two) is an extended adagio. Here the mood is melancholy and elegiac, though the bassoon is passionate in its lyricism. The second movement is more kaleidoscopic, generally fast and aggressive. The bassoon seeems to be saying that yes we are extant and yes we intend to stir things up for quite awhile longer. The final section, still fast, slows down near the end as it returns to the bell sounds of the opening movement.

I wrote the piece for John Steinmetz, and we met several times during the course of Extant's composition for the sharing of ideas about technical and artistic matters. It has been a most enjoyable collaboration. Complete in 1997, Extant was commissioned for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition. --Donald Crockett
Title Brand2
Year Composed1997
Copyright Number(not set)
Copyright Year(not set)
Duration15
Ensemble Size9
Date Created2008-10-31 20:31:03.000000
Date Updated2025-09-30 20:31:03
Inhouse Note(not set)
Bsc Code(not set)
Text Author(not set)
Premier Performance Memo(not set)
Recording Credits(not set)
Review"[Extant] was really lovely and had a beautiful, singing, tender quality." --John Steinmetz, from a review in the Pittsburgh Tribune by Meribeth Snively.
Awards(not set)
Title Category2
Title Movements(not set)
Title Grade(not set)
Set Series ID(not set)
Title Instrument Category TextNonet
Title Sub Category Text(not set)
Title Sub Category100
Title Instrument Header24
Title Grade Text(not set)
Clean Urlextant-for-solo-bassoon-and-eight-players-r00182