If It’s Not Baroque… (2017)

2 violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass, & harpsichord
Duration: 10 min 30 sec

Elaine Bastos & Pedro Maia, violins
Shelby Thompson, viola
Jack Flores, violoncello
Holden Bitner, contrabass
Tyler Tucker, harpsichord

Program Note:

If It’s Not Baroque… makes reference to the old joke, “if it’s not Baroque, don’t fix it.” While this piece is not explicitly Baroque, it does pay homage to some of my favorite composers of the Baroque era. The first movement draws from the concerti of Vivaldi. The “Air” finds its inspiration in the highly ornamented keyboard works of Couperin, as well as referencing the French Baroque practice of uneven notes (notes inégales), and J.S. Bach’s beautiful counterpoint was the primary inspiration for the last movement.