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Download a PDF file of the full piano score of this composition. This score may be printed and duplicated for the purposes of performances.
Download a PDF file of the cello part of this composition.
Songs Without Words are two sets of short movements for cello and piano. The first set, "First Notes," was composed specifically for student cellists. The following set, "Journeys," is intended for more advanced players.
The programmatic titles of the movements offer ample description of the music. However, a word might be added about "Homecoming." This piece was composed when the composer returned to her Vermont home after an extended period of travel. The peaceful, rural home setting was especially appreciated.
Meanwhile, "Journeys" was inspired by a concert trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. For a composer living in North-central Vermont, any trip to see the distant ocean fills the imagination with nautical imagery and associations. And thus, the listener may hear longing and homesickness (in "The Far Coast"), a jaunty spirit with syncopated rhythms (in "Salty Spray") and undulating, shimmering waters (in "Singing Waves").
The composer would describe herself as a non-visual person who tends to experience imagery through musical sounds.
Notes by the composer