Your selection will take several moments to download. It will begin playing automatically. Selection: from TWO CATS FUGUE for guitar and harpsichord by Bryan Johanson NOTE: If no downloading activity is apparent, then your browser probably does not support embedded media. (We strongly recommend downloading a current browser) To download your selection manually, click here. The Secret Guitar by Bryan Johanson DANCE OF THE BLUE DEVIL DANCE OF THE BLUE DEVIL was written while I was at work on a composition for chamber ensemble based on imaginary creatures from Greek, Chinese, Arabic, and Native American mythologies. The resulting work, obviously influenced by that exotic mythological atmosphere, is a rapid-fire scherzo that propels the two instruments forward through new and often unpredictable terrain. SONATA DA CAMERA This four movement work for marimba, cello and guitar is fashioned along the lines of the wonderful trio sonatas of Baroque composer Archangelo Corelli. This sonata, however, is not meant to be Neo-Baroque music. My inspiration came from what I perceived to be an opportunity to extend the expressive range of the continuo group. In Corelli's music, the continuo instruments act as a harmonic ground over which the solo instruments provide the main material. I selected what I thought was an interesting contemporary continuo group, omitted the solo instruments, and integrated the melodic and virtuoso material into the fabric of the harmonic ground. As a result, each instrument has a chance to play multiple roles throughout the work. Each of the movements is linked to the theme of the Gavotta, which is based on a game song that I composed to sing to my daughter Molly. BERCEUSE The BERCEUSE, like DANCE OF THE BLUE DEVIL, was written while I was composing a much larger work, in this case THE SECRET GUITAR. During the summer of 1992, I was experiencing the first joys of fatherhood. Our daughter Molly was born in April, and I was spending the summer at home composing and learning to care for her. The BERCEUSE was music that came to me out of the amazing depth of feeling all new parents experience. There are two versions of the BERCEUSE. One is for cello and guitar, which I recorded with Hamilton Cheifetz. The other version, for clarinet and guitar, is presented here. The work is dedicated to Molly. TWO CATS FUGUE This composition is built on four ways of looking at the title. The first is the reference to two cats in flight (fugue). I have tried to describe, in music, the mercurial nature of cats at play. I have always been struck by the amount of energy and focus a cat can exert when playing. I have also been equally impressed at how quickly the game can change, or stop altogether. A wild game of tail-chasing can instantly become a leisurely bath. When the element of a second cat is added, anything can happen. The second aspect is simply a play on the word "cat." This time, however, it is with the jazz twist on the word. In this case the "cats" are the two musicians who are playing guitar and harpsichord. I wanted to write a work in which the two instrumentalists could enjoy the playfulness of tossing, trading, and elaborating on the musical ideas, much like what happens in jazz improvisation. The third angle is the actual fugue itself. Throughout the different game episodes, the fugue subject is the unifying musical link. The subject, which is stated in the guitar part after the harpsichord stretches itself awake, is built on a quick leaping motive. The subject is then treated to many orthodox and unorthodox forms of variation. The final way of looking at the title is the obvious reference to Domenico Scarlatti's "Cats Fugue." The unusual sequence of notes in the fugue subject sounded to many like a cat walking across the keyboard, and so it acquired its popular name. The last few bars of my composition make use of Scarlatti's fugue subject fashioned into a final skittering gesture. THE SECRET GUITAR The scene: a small downtown pawnshop. A young man peers into the pawnshop window. All types of musical instruments line the walls and are stacked high on the shelves. Stepping inside he says to the small, grey-haired man behind the counter, "I'd like to play your best guitar." The pawnbroker looks intently as his young customer, gives a slight nod and disappears into the back of the shop. When he returns he is carefully holding a beautiful guitar. "I've kept this guitar a secret for many years," he says as he hands it across the counter. "I think you'll find there's something very special about this instrument." The young guitarist sits down among the old instruments and begins to play. Though neglected for years, the guitar's strings are warm and resonant to his touch. His fingers move instinctively and the music that comes from his hands is like none he has heard before. Enraptured, he hardly notices as the clarinet in the corner and the cello propped up behind him begin to echo the music he is making. Soon the entire shop is vibrant with sound and all the instruments are part of the musical chase led by the secret guitar. The Secret Guitar