Bridges, for solo piano
Overview: This piece for solo piano is a musical tour through Rhode Island, inspired by the main bridges that surround Narragansett Bay, the largest estuary in New England.
Duration: about 11 minutes total (movements may be performed separately.)
Price: $12.00 (USD)
To purchase, click on the button which will take you to the check-out page. You will then be emailed a link to download the PDF. All purchases are secure through Stripe.
Program Notes:
When I was twelve, I considered becoming a marine biologist and avidly attended lectures at the University of Rhode Island School of Oceanography; I was especially enthralled by deep sea exploration. Though I ultimately chose to pursue music, I will always love Narragansett Bay, the largest estuary in New England, which almost completely divides Rhode Island into two parts, south to north. This piece is a musical tour of Rhode Island, crossing the four bridges that circle the Bay.
Movement 1:
The Jamestown-Verrazzano bridge links pastoral Conanicut Island, featuring the beautiful Beavertail lighthouse and state park, with South County. Go sailing, take walks along the shoreline, and watch seals play if you’re lucky. This movement is the most peaceful, and the deep bass about 2/3 of the way through represents the use of sonar to explore the depths of the ocean.
Movement 2:
The Washington Bridge is the busiest, always congested with traffic and crossing the part of the bay where ocean tankers come to port in the city of Providence. Just to the north is Pawtucket, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. The constant sixteenth notes in this movement remind me of the sewing machines used in the mills, as well as the commotion of the city.
Movement 3:
The Mount Hope bridge takes you back in time to the bustling, charming seaside town of Bristol, which boasts the longest-running 4th of July parade in the United States, beginning in 1785. The history of Rhode Island is fraught, and the ports in Rhode Island were the largest slave trade ports in New England. This movement is in the style of a minuet and trio, but the minuet is a rearrangement of You’re a Grand Old Flag, written by George Cohen, a native of Rhode Island, and the trio comes from Ain’t Got No Money, a slave song. When the minuet returns, the two songs combine, depicting the struggle toward racial reconciliation.
Movement 4:
The Newport-Pell bridge, the longest suspension bridge in New England, brings visitors to magnificent Newport, featuring mansions, tall ships, and the Naval War College. This movement evokes the gilded mansions but questions the stability of what is underneath the surface, with a bass line taken from America, the Beautiful…in a minor key.
I have performed this work publicly, but as yet no one else has.
Price: $11.00 (USD)
To purchase, click on the button which will take you to the check-out page. You will then be emailed a link to download the PDF. All purchases are secure through Stripe.
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