Damselfly Prelude (2021)

Damselfly Prelude (2021)

five-string baroque cello and fortepiano

Duration: 6’30”

Click HERE to view a PDF of the score.

Available for purchase: Sheet Music Plus, and Sheet Music Direct

Damselfly Prelude was commissioned by cellist Ka-Wai Yu for premiere November 15, 2021 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with Jonathan Rhodes Lee on the fortepiano.

PROGRAM NOTE

Damselfly Prelude was commissioned by cellist Ka-Wai Yu. Written for the five-string
baroque cello and fortepiano, I combined some of my favorite contrapuntal techniques employed by Bach with a sultry melody that explores the full registral capabilities of this cello.

A note from the performers about these instruments: “The five-string cello is a replica of the so-called violoncello piccolo that JS Bach seemed to have in mind when he composed his famous cello suites. The fortepiano is a copy of the one built in 1806 by Anton Walter, who built these instruments for Mozart and Beethoven.”

Fun fact: The state insect of Nevada is the Vivid Dancer Damselfly.