David Braid
Doberman – Yppan : Score and separate violin part: (15 and 7 pages respectively )
Canadian composer David Braid has written a huge number of works for guitar (including some for other guitars, acoustic and electric), and here has produced three pieces of modest difficulty for violin and guitar., the first begin an Aria set in C, with a guitar part that moves through many different arpeggiated patterns whilst still remaining lyrical and moreover with an instruction to play as much as possible ‘laisser vibrer’. In this opening movement, the violin has a lot less to play, with most of the part being long notes, or deliberately shortened ones, whilst the guitar is in constant flow.
The second movement, Two – Part Invention is another lyrical one beginning on the solo violin and at bar 5 this is the point where the guitar copies the violin’s opening in true 2 – Part Invention style. The piece continues in this vein for only 33 bars before the guitar closes th movement with a glissando onto two harmonic notes.
The final Cantilena opens with a two note guitar arpeggiation that continues throughout the bar, before changing to a different pair of arpeggiated notes before a second lower note with a long duration sits underneath this undulation. The violin enters with some long notes halfway through bar 5 and continues mostly in this vein for some time until joining the guitar in its two – note repeating arpeggios, for some further time. Then the violin returns to a different melody of mostly long notes, over a now slightly varied undulation, until closing on a harmonic A.
This is a melodic and friendly set of pieces that seem to only require a modest pair of players and therefore I can see it being a popular work for such a pair of players.
Chris Dumigan
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