Sempre Dolce (2019)

Trio for Violin, Bass Clarinet & Vibraphone

Duration: 13 minutes

Premiere: June 21, 2019; F-plus, Great Lakes Music Festival, Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, Michigan

Commission: F-plus

Instrumentation: Violin, Bass Clarinet in B-flat, Vibraphone 

Alternative instrumentations: Violin, Violoncello, Piano; Violin, Bass Clarinet in B-flat, Piano; Violin, Violoncello, Vibraphone;

Availability: For Sale. Alternative violoncello and piano parts included.

Program Notes:

Sempre dolce is a term musicians sometimes encounter in classical music scores. It means “always sweet.” In this trio, given the sometimes bitter harmonies, it is more of an instruction than a descriptive title. In composing this work for F-Plus, I wanted to channel the pastoral calm, tinged with melancholy, that I love in so many slow movement of the late classical period, where the music seems to smile through worries or remembered sadness. The violinist plays with a metal practice mute that gives the violin a defuse, distant character that the other instruments must match with delicacy.

Sempre Dolce: Trio for Violin, Bass Clarinet, and Vibraphone (Score and Parts) Sempre Dolce: Trio for Violin, Bass Clarinet, and Vibraphone (Score and Parts)
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Sempre Dolce: Trio for Violin, Bass Clarinet, and Vibraphone (Score and Parts)
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Original version below. Alternative scorings will be available in May 2026.