Browsing by Author "Partain, Randolph L."

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    “Blood Rite” for orchestra
    (2005) Partain, Randolph L.; Gottschalk, Arthur
    Blood Rite is a single-movement work for full orchestra, seven-and-a-half minutes in length. After a rhythmic introduction characterized by low clusters that appear and fade with regular pulsations, two melodic themes are transparently introduced; these melodies compete for dominance throughout the piece. Although the two themes do not initially occur simultaneously, they are brought into closer proximity as one melody becomes an accompaniment to the other. As the struggle takes its toll, the two melodies become increasingly fragmented, and after a short recurrence of the opening pulsations, the final section of the piece holds the culmination of the conflict. Although many examples can be cited in which two musical ideas meld into coexistence or in which one musical motive achieves dominance over another in the final strains of a piece, this work is an exploration of two melodic ideas which both suffer from the competition for primary importance. Various facets of the two melodies are examined, including their potential to coexist as melody and accompaniment, but at the climax of the drama the work holds only snatches of the two melodies, fragmented into gestures which build to an explosive finish, devoid of either theme in its entirety. Setting apart more rhythmic sections of the piece are two echoes of the introduction, the first focused on the low clusters which swell and fade. The second echo precedes and foreshadows the final section in at least two facets: the low clusters begin to lose their stability as an increasing number of tones sink into glissandi, and the initial pulsations mimic this motion in a descending ornamented scale which maintains a prominent place through the end of the piece. After a rhythmically altered iteration of the first theme, the remainder of the final section is dominated more by a complex rhythmic ostinato than by either of the melodies which held the limelight in previous sections of the work.
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    COMPOSERS' FORUM Thursday, November 18, 2004 7:00 p.m. Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall
    (Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2004-11-18) Kuspa, Jordan; Cornell, Philip John; Gu, Jiena; Poteat, Angelique, 1986-; Partain, Randolph L.; Barton, Jacob, 1985-; Pencil, David; Beecher, Lembit; Vassiliev, Sergei (clarinet); Parkhurst, Bryan (harp); Merritt, Edward (double bass); Laude, Benjamin (piano); Richmond, Leslie (flute); Esparza, Eric (tenor); Smith, Cameron (piano); Connelly, Brian (piano); Walstrom, Audrey (mezzo-soprano and voice); Li, Kenneth (piano); Duerr, Kelly (voice); Estridge, Colm (voice); Rogotzke, Valerie (voice); Tarkington, Meghan (voice); Taylor, Raines (voice); Bell, Brandon (percussion); Gould, Grant (percussion); Lassell, Nathan (percussion); West, David (percussion); Leas, Ashleigh (flute); Poteat, Angelique (bass clarinet); Reid, Jennifer (contrabassoon); Li, Peng (cello)
    Program: Kelevsma: a ritual piece for clarinet, harp, and double bass / Randolph L. Partain -- Sonatinissima! / Jordan Kuspa -- Coastal Meander / Angelique Poteat -- foum, or Xenharmonic Variations on a Theme by Mozart / Jacob Barton (b. 1985) -- She Walks in Beauty / David Pencil -- And The Moon Spun Round like a Top / Lembit Beecher (b. 1980) -- Three Stoic Songs set to Akhmatova Poems / Philip Cornell -- Chases the Sun / Jiena Gu.
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    RANDOLPH L. PARTAIN Composer DOCTORAL RECITAL Saturday, October 25, 2003 5:30 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall
    (Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2003-10-25) Owen, Wilfred; Sandburg, Carl, 1878-1967; Partain, Randolph L.; Chaplin, Ralph, 1887-1961; Rosenberg, Isaac; Partain, Randolph L. (composer); Walsh, Michael (baritone); Osborne, Jessica (piano); MacAdam-Somer, Eden (violin); Macelaru, Cristian (violin); Premawardhana, Charith (viola); Cook, Nathan (cello); Motherwell, Emily (soprano); Landon, Elizabeth (flute); McKee, Abigail (alto flute); Rowoldt, Seth (percussion); Doty, Spencer (percussion)
    Program: "Mourn Not the Dead... " / Ralph Chaplin -- Ready to Kill / Carl Sandburg -- Epiphany / Anonymous -- Jingo / U.S. Government -- Dulce Et Decorum Est / Wilfred Owen -- Dead Man's Dump / Isaac Rosenberg -- Seven Oblivions / Randolph L. Partain -- Minya Envinyatar / Randolph L. Partain.
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    SHEPHERD SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Saturday, November 5, 2005 8:00 p.m. Stude Concert Hall
    (Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2005-11-05) Copland, Aaron, 1900-1990; Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990; Partain, Randolph L.; Rachleff, Larry (music director); Dunn, Susan Lorette (soprano); Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra
    Playlist: Blood Rite / Randolph L. Partain (b. 1973) -- Billy the Kid / Aaron Copland (1900-1990) -- Symphony No.1, "Jeremiah" / Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990).
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    "Sigil" for chamber orchestra
    (2000) Partain, Randolph L.; Gottschalk, Arthur W.
    A sigil is a small symbol or rune believed to hold magical energy. In this instance, the "sigil" is a five-note motive, which emerges from repeating notes in the brass and oboe in the first few moments of the piece. This grouping of pitches not only becomes the building block for all of the melodic figures in the work, the harmonic components are derived almost exclusively from this motive as well. Utilizing this same basic material on many different levels throughout, the work also expresses a character of energetic and perpetually unfolding development of a musical idea. Throughout the piece, the motive occurs at varying speeds and intensities, until the climactic section in which all of the previous speeds occur simultaneously, with the brass interjecting chordal presentations of the motive.
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    Society of Composers Region VI Conference - Concert 3 Friday. February 10. 2006 11:00 a.m. Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall
    (Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2006-02-10) Kim, Minsook, 1986-; Carpenter, Keith, 1967-; Stallmann, Kurt, 1964-; Partain, Randolph L.; Poteat, Angelique, 1986-; Haaheim, Kip; Sedgwick, Daniel; Zajicek, Hsiao-Lan Wang; Ueno, Ken; Browning, Zack; Dickinson, Paul
    Program: Kage-Uta / Ken Ueno -- Funky See, Funky Do / Keith Carpenter -- Red Ponts / Kip Haaheim -- Seven Little Pieces / Minsook Kim -- per speculum in aenigmate / Paul Dickinson -- Trolltune / Randolph L. Partain -- Ash over water... / Kurt Stallmann -- Meander / Angelique Poteat -- Hard-boiled Wonderland / Hsiao-Lan Wang/Damiel Zajicek -- Falling Still / Daniel Sedgwick -- Crack Hammer / Zack Browning.