90D38B4B-0A02-4A80-A707-682741A7CBF2

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ID90D38B4B-0A02-4A80-A707-682741A7CBF2
TitlecodeR01489
Title NameWord on the Street
Marketing CopyThis 10-minute celebration of the joys of rock and blues and counterpoint and orchestration falls into five clearly delineated sections.
Instrumentation2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp.Perc(1).Pno: Str
Commission(not set)
DedicationFor Roger Briggs and the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra
Program NotesDon Freund’s Word on the Street brings “vernacular” tunes, rhythms, and attitudes to the medium
of the chamber orchestra and the developmental processes beloved by composers of concert art
music. This 10-minute celebration of the joys of rock and blues and counterpoint and orchestration
falls into five clearly delineated sections.
Word on the Street gets down to business immediately with a bright declamatory main tune — a
rising 4-note phrase answered by a syncopated riff. This tune and its chatty counterpart get a
thorough work-out, moving through the choirs of the orchestra in a variety of keys and
juxtapositions, building to a unison statement that suddenly slams on the brakes. The energy
subsides in the following section, which features sustained solo lines over a repeated bass-line
mantra that is quietly inaugurated by the violas and cellos. A sudden gear-shift opens the third
section in a fast-triple feel; a surging undercurrent accompanies a sassy tune first heard in the flute
and oboe. The surging expands and the tune gets edgier, erupting into a dialog between timpani
and strings, and paving the way for another gear-shift, this time into a heavy triple-time heroic
blues. This slower wave figure gets weightier and weightier, eventually grinding to a halt. A
whispered glissando ignites the fifth and final section, a hyperkinetic chattering imitative texture
that drives towards an exuberant return of the opening tune.

Word on the Street is dedicated to Roger Briggs and the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra.
Title Brand2
Year Composed2007
Copyright Number(not set)
Copyright Year(not set)
Duration10
Ensemble Size13
Date Created2011-08-04 20:31:31.000000
Date Updated2025-09-30 20:31:31
Inhouse Note(not set)
Bsc Code(not set)
Text Author(not set)
Premier Performance Memo(not set)
Recording Credits(not set)
Review(not set)
Awards(not set)
Title Category7
Title Movements(not set)
Title Grade(not set)
Set Series ID(not set)
Title Instrument Category TextFull Orchestra
Title Sub Category Text(not set)
Title Sub Category31
Title Instrument Header41
Title Grade Text(not set)
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