Thomas, A.-Dirge in Woods (2S)-V/M/B/VX/HP

A Dirge in Woods is a setting of the poem by George Meredith (1828–1909) for soprano, harp, and mallet percussion by American composer Andrew Thomas (b. 1939), published by Margun Music. The work was composed in memory of Hall Overton (1920–1972), the American jazz pianist, composer, and Juilliard faculty member, and has been recorded on Opus One (No. 28) by Jeanne Ommerle, Alyssa Hess, and Joseph Passaro. Thomas studied with Nadia Boulanger, Luciano Berio, Karel Husa, and Elliott Carter, and has been on the faculties of the Juilliard School and Sarah Lawrence College. His works have been performed prominently at the New York Philharmonic's Prospective Encounters Series, the Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood, and the Aspen Festival.

The score includes performance notes specifying that harp harmonics are notated where they are played and sound an octave higher, that harmonics at the twelfth are also used, and that the glockenspiel part is notated an octave lower than sounded. The set includes three performance scores.

Work Details

• Composer: Andrew Thomas (b. 1939)
• Text: George Meredith (1828–1909), Dirge in Woods
• Song for Soprano, Harp & Percussion
• Number of players: 3

Instrumentation

• Soprano
• Harp
• Percussion: Vibraphone, Marimba, Glockenspiel (one player)