B.'s Garlands

We present a newly engraved edition of this important Bresnick work, with edits from composer. "Aesthetically, he sees his piece for eight celli, B's Garlands (written in 1973 under the influence of Ligeti) as a breakthrough stylistically, and he counts it as a turning point in his artistic self-awareness. And this is true; if you know some of Martin's music from more recent years, which can be stylistically quite divergent, it's not so hard to hear in that beautiful choir of celli a range of ideas that will contribute to the mature Bresnick sound." (NewMusicBox.org, The Tipping Point, By Ingram Marshall on June 21, 2006)

Despite the density and seeming uniformity of musical texture in B.'s Garlands (1973), the eight cello parts are graded in difficulty -- from the virtuosic first three to the relatively simple last two. The work is a divertimento written to celebrate the birth of my daughter Johanna. It is music for Johannisnacht, the German equivalent of our magical "Midsummers Night." As in Wagner's similarly situated "Meistersinger," the Night Watchman may be heard now and again, especially following Wagner's concluding direction at the end of Act II -- "Auf dem Horn, sehr lang" (On the horn, very long. . . ).

We present a newly engraved edition of this important Bresnick work, with edits from composer. "Aesthetically, he sees his piece for eight celli, B's Garlands (written in 1973 under the influence of Ligeti) as a breakthrough stylistically, and he counts it as a turning point in his artistic self-awareness. And this is true; if you know some of Martin's music from more recent years, which can be stylistically quite divergent, it's not so hard to hear in that beautiful choir of celli a range of ideas that will contribute to the mature Bresnick sound." (NewMusicBox.org, The Tipping Point, By Ingram Marshall on June 21, 2006)

We present a newly engraved edition of this important Bresnick work, with edits from composer. "Aesthetically, he sees his piece for eight celli, B's Garlands (written in 1973 under the influence of Ligeti) as a breakthrough stylistically, and he counts it as a turning point in his artistic self-awareness. And this is true; if you know some of Martin's music from more recent years, which can be stylistically quite divergent, it's not so hard to hear in that beautiful choir of celli a range of ideas that will contribute to the mature Bresnick sound." (NewMusicBox.org, The Tipping Point, By Ingram Marshall on June 21, 2006)