Mid-Park at 64th (2014)

organ
Duration: approx. 2 min

Program Note:

A great deal of the organ repertory is either religious or very serious in nature and in my first foray into writing for such a magnificent instrument, I wanted to capture a different side of the instrument. The cheekiness of Charles Ives’ Variations on America had always been a trait I found appealing of the work, and so I naturally leaned toward the same playful, teasing nature when confronted with the task of composing for organ.

In addition to finding organs in churches, cathedrals, and concert halls, they can also be found on old carousels. As a native of the New York suburbs, the first carousel I thought of (after the one at Walt Disney World) was the one in Central Park. Mid-Park at 64th evokes both the playful waltz music commonly associated with carousels and the timbre of the calliope that provides music for Central Park’s carousel.

Mid-Park at 64th was written for and premiered by Dr. Jack Ashworth.