NOTES ON THE PROGRAM

Lachryme is the 5th movement to a very

large, as yet unfinished, symphony
Cosmonomicon. The symphony begins
with the beginning of the universe,
appropriately entitled Con fuoco (with
fire). Unlike the glassily frozen
beginning to the world depicted in
Mahlers first symphony or the majestic
stability of the opening of Strauss Also
sprach Zarathustra, Con fuoco shows a
world born of intense energy and chaos.
This ball of heat cools in the second
movement, Celestial mechanics, into a
slowly rotating portrayal of the cosmos.
Canti vivae moves closer to home, and in
a simple but lively texture, it depicts the
evolution of life on earth. Darkness
creeps into the picture in Scherzo macabre
(danse humana). The
history of humankind
Several
through war & discord
times I
is recorded with dark
wrote
humor.
"Wow!"
next to a
Lachryme literally
work being
means tears, and this
played...
work was originally
-Peter
subtitled weep for our
Jacobi,
souls. This is the most
Herald
personal of the five
Times
movements, and it
reflects on how such a
beautiful and awe-inspiring world can
contain such misery and desolation. The
final bars, however, point toward a
different resolution.
The symphony ends with Adoramos,
which expresses a final acceptance of our

infinitesimally small place in the cosmos,

and reflects how the fantastic size and
sweep of the universe overwhelms our
personal desires and
pain. That a true
the
internalization
highlight of
incredible smallness
the year
in the face of empty
came Nov. 9
space, gives us a
with Justin
better understanding
Merritt's
of God.
Five
Preludes for
Lachyme is both lyrical
piano
and direct. It pushes
-Peter
the string orchestra to
Schimpf,
function as both an
Bloomington
orchestra and as a
Independent
very large chamber
group. It is at times
divided into as many as 16 parts and uses
10 different soloists. Its lyrical flexibility
is, perhaps ironically, created by using
precise and complex combinations of
rhythm. At many points in the work
parts of the ensemble are dividing the
beat into 3 parts, while the remainder
divide the beat into 4 parts. In addition,
these divisions are further subdivided.
However, rather than sounding merely
chaotic, the result is an achingly intense
stretching of the beat. I find these
rhythms such as 4:3 that exist on the
boundary between order and chaos to be
both fantastically interesting and
musically rich.
The harmony of this work is constructed
using a new harmonic framework Ive
developed that utilizes harmonic circles
other than the circle of 5ths to generate

8 1 5 t h y e p a r k w a y n o r t h f i e l d , m n 5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 4 8 2 0 i n f o @ m o o n e a s t . c o m w w w. m o o n e a s t . c o m

modes and harmonies. These circles are

beautifully symmetrical, but yield rich
and fascinating new harmonic motions.

justinmerrit

-notes by the composer

In 2000 composer Justin

Merritt (bn. 1975) was the
youngest-ever winner of the
ASCAP Foundation/Rudolph
Nissim Award for Janus Mask.
He is also the winner of a host
of other awards including the
2008-09 Copland Award, the
2008 Minnesota Orchestra
Composer Institute Prize for
River of Blood, and the 2006
Polyphonos Prize

He received his Bachelors

from Trinity University and
his
Masters
and
Doctorate
from
demands
Indiana
University.
an audience's
He
studied
attention
composition
with
Merritt's
Samuel Adler, Svenpiece was the
David
Sandstrm,
standout.
Claude
B a k e r,
-Rob
Timothy Kramer, Don
Hubbard,
Freund,
and
Pioneer Press
electronic
and
computer music with
Jeffrey Hass. He is currently Assistant
Professor of Composition at St. Olaf
College.
He resides in Northfield,
Minnesota with his wife Yuedong and
their children Cullen Fang Ouxiang and
Molly Fang Qinghe.
8 1 5 t h y e p a r k w a y n o r t h f i e l d , m n 5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 4 8 2 0 i n f o @ m o o n e a s t . c o m w w w. m o o n e a s t . c o m

Lachryme

Dur. ca 11'

for string orchestra

&6

Violin 1

Lento assai q = 36
con molto rubato sempre

4
&6
4
B 6 w.
4

Violin 2

Viole

#
p espr.
w ..
"

div.

?6

Contrabass

Vln. 1

Vln. 2

Vle.

Vc.

Cb.

6
&

tempo

.
.

& .

b . . .
b b. b.
S

sub.
unis.

pizz.

Vle.

Vc.

B
p soli
.
? b.
sub.
pizz.

Cb.

? .
p

"

b ..
.

w.

w.

b.

b. b.
S
b
. ..
.

b
p
b.
"

b ..

div.

b ..

..

.
.

arco

b.

"

b ..

"
.

. #.

b ..
n.

n # ..
.

. #.
.

b # ..

"

. j
cresc.

cresc.

b ..

cresc.

solo

solo

.
"

Copyright 2002 Justin Merritt (ASCAP)

Published by Moon East
All rights reserved
www.mooneast.com

n n b b

molto rit.

.
b.

b .

b.
b.

.
b.

bb .
pizz.

b.

f
f
f

Tempo primo q = 36
j
j
j .
j
. . . . . . .
" dolcissimo

.
.
"
. . . .
J
"
..
..
..
n

n ..

n n b b

.
. b n .

b ..

. j
.

div.

cresc.

Un poco pu stringendo

. . #. n n
.

unis.

rit.

.b

rit.

..

. b. b

b ..

Un poco pu mosso

div., arco

S
. .

arco

"
b

n.
.
"
b b . n n .
.
"
!

unis.

bb ..

flautando

n.

sub. Piu mosso q = 48

A 12 flautando
.
b
.
Vln. 1
&
sub. "
Vln. 2

Poco stringendo

p espr.
&

p espr.
B . b . b
? ..

pizz.

tempo

rit.

? 6 . # .. ..

Cello

Justin Merritt

w.
# sotto voce
solo
bw.
# sotto voce
solo 1-2
ww ..
# sotto voce

Vln. 1

B Lyrical, quasi rubato sempre q = 54

18 molto rit.
, tutti
.
. #
& b. j
# . # # # .

.
.
.

b .
sub. p

Vln. 2

& w.

Vle.

B bw.

Vc.

Cb.

Vln. 1

Vln. 2

Vle.

Vc.

Cb.

Vln. 1

Vln. 2

Vle.

Vc.

Cb.

tutti

. #.
sub. "
tutti
. #.

? w ..

"
# # .
sub. "
!

23
b.
& J n

&

b b b ..

? .

B .

27
b
&
p

b
& .
p
n.
B
p
#
B b n .
p

#
p
#.
div.

. .

. . .
.
.

.
.
!

#.

. #. . n. #.

n.

. . .
J J

p
n ..

pizz.

#.
.
#

. #. n
..
!

cresc.

.
.

cresc.

cresc.

Lachryme - pg. 2

b.
b.

. . . . .
dim.
div.

.
.

b.

b.

S
.

#.

..

# ..

b
b

S .
.

..

molto rit.

. . .

arco

#.

#.

b b .

..

# #
J

cresc.

unis.

.
J

.
.

accel.

p
.

#. #.

unis.

n.
.

n.

. #. . n. #.

. #.
J

n ..

cresc.

b.

n.

w.

#. #. n. . .

w.

w.

b ..

n.

n.

w.

. . . n.
w.

sub.
tutti

b.

. . . n. w.

j . # . #. #. . b. b
j J j

#
#
.

b
b

1/2 pizz., 1/2 arco

#.
f

f
f
f
f

this is a sample only

to purchase the complete score or parts and
for other compositions by justinmerritt please visit:

www.mooneast.com
or send emails to

info@mooneast.com

8 1 5 t h y e p a r k w a y n o r t h f i e l d , m n 5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 4 8 2 0 i n f o @ m o o n e a s t . c o m w w w. m o o n e a s t . c o m

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

choral orchestral

!
!
!
!
!

solo

!
!
!
!
!
!

Standard Deviation!.............................................................................................violin
Bar for Hans Sachs!.................................................................................................flute
Veloce!.......................................................................................................violin & piano
Coupling!................................................................................................................organ
Drum Break!...................................................................................................percussion

chamber

!
!
!
!

Janus Mask!..................................................................................................
!
winds in 2s
River of Blood!.............................................................................................winds in 2s
Dervish!.........................................................................................................winds in 2s
Lachryme!..............................................................................................string orchestra
Monster!........................................................................................................winds in 3s

A Gauze of Misted Silver!..........................................................string quartet & harp

Ravening!..................................................................................................string quartet
Invocation!....................................................................................................8 solo brass
The Day Florestan Murdered Magister Raro!............clarinet, violin, cello, & piano
Trio!.................................................................................................violin, cello, & piano

piano

5 Preludes!..............................................................................................................piano
Chaconne: Mercy Endures!..................................................................................piano
Rococo Suite!..........................................................................................................piano
Sierpinski Gasket!..................................................................................................piano
Windchimes!...........................................................................................................piano
Hive!...................................................................................................4 pianos, 16 hands

vocal

other compositions by justinmerritt

Dissonance!.....................................................................................................song cycle
Steps Into Stillness!........................................................................................song cycle
Dhammapada!................................................................................................song cycle
London Thoroughfare, 2AM!...........................................tenor, horn, violin, & piano
May Evening in Central Park...........................................................
!
baritone & piano

Corde natus!..........................................................................................................SATB
Lamentations!.......................................................................................................SATB
Hay Das!......................................................................................................SMsATBrB
Nativity!.................................................................................................................SATB
Adoro Te Devote!.................................................................................................SATB
Fire Sermon!....................................................................................SSATB & orchestra

8 1 5 t h y e p a r k w a y n o r t h f i e l d , m n 5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 4 8 2 0 i n f o @ m o o n e a s t . c o m w w w. m o o n e a s t . c o m