Paintings for Jacob (1997)
I. Dark upon Darkness - Dark
II. Strata - Earthly, Geological
III. Stargazers - Bright, Clear
IV. Palindrome - Triumphant, Ascendant
Paintings for Jacob is comprised of four movements (or sonic images) played Attacca (without pause). The music opens unfolding with the low, slowly moving broad tones of lamentation, Dark upon Darkness. It moves directly into the second movement, Strata, a multi layered composition of contrapuntal lines pulsing upwards while others descend along with repeated notes fading in and out at different pitch levels, like echoes or intuitions. The texture expands into a polyphony of voices that ultimately open into the floating, etheral myriad world of Stargazers. Stargazers too is a pluralism, a clear sky full of bright stars, an intimate view of simply lined flowers. The music inverts three quarters of the way through leading to a quiet climax which moves directly to Palindrome, (the opening of Strata, backwards). Although Palindrome is Strata retrograde, they do not read the same. Strata seems geological, earthly, grounded and strong while Palindrome is constantly fleeting like steam ascending from a warm spring on an icy day, like dreams receding back into the dimension of sleep, loved ones returning to the landscapes before birth...
The detail of this music is intricate. There is great fluctuation of time, both vertical and linear. The higher structure is unadorned, bold and direct. The material for Strata (which generates Palindrome) is presented in Dark upon Darkness, whose title describes the essence of the entire work but also bears reference to Jacob Druckman's composition, Dark upon the Harp. Formally, the music progresses from Dark upon Darkness, develops, inverts upon itself and then goes retrograde.
Paintings for Jacob was commissioned by The ASCAP Foundation and the Seattle Symphony in memory of the composer, Jacob Druckman.
Total duration: 15'50
3 Flutes all double Piccolo
3 Oboes third to double English Horn
3 Clarinets third to double Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
Contra Bassoon
3 Trumpets third to double Piccolo Trumpet
4 Horns
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani
3 Percussion
| Large Gong | Bass Drum | Marimba |
| Slit Drum | Long Drum (with Snares) | Sus. Cymbals (Bow) |
| Gong | Roto Toms | Glock |
| Small Tam-Tam | Vibraphone | Tomtoms |
| Large Tam-Tam | Water Gong | Snare Drum |
| True Bell (High F) | Chimes | Conga |
| Tumba | Xylophone | Thunder Sheet |
Piano
Harp
Strings
Electric Bass