Standard Deviation begins with a slow,

senza misura introduction in which the

violinist must stubbornly hold a drone D
while balancing a free improvisatory line
on the outer strings. The second
movement keeps the drone idea intact,
but this time the drone is a very fast
rhythmic 16th-note
pulse (usually on an
the
open G) chased from
highlight of
above by heavy,
the year
syncopated gestures.
came Nov. 9
The third movement
with Justin
pays homage to the
Merritt's
contrapuntal writing
Five
in Bachs solo string
Preludes for
music. It is basically a
piano
series of increasingly
-Peter
complex canons. The
Schimpf,
final movement is a
Bloomington
wildly virtuosic
Independent
display with a simple
motive at its heart.
A standard deviation is a measure of the
dispersion of random errors about the
mean value. In each movement, some
central idea remains stubbornly fixed,
while chaos surrounds.
-notes by the composer

premiered by
Benjamin Sung

Several times I wrote "Wow!" next to

a work being played...
-Peter Jacobi, Herald Times

justinmerrit

NOTES ON THE PROGRAM

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

for Benjamin Sung

Standard Deviation
for violin solo

I.
Molto lento, misterioso

U
&

U
W
" cresc. poco a poco

lunga

&W
*

&
-

! non dim o cresc. sempre

sotto voce, molto legato, accel.

&W

Justin Merritt

**

gliss

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
!
p
!

U ~~~~~~~~ - ~~~ - ~ - - ~~~~ - ~ - - ~~~~~~~

~~~ ~~~
~~ ~~~~
~
~
~
& #
#

~
~
~
~~~~~~~ # ~ # ~~~ # # ~~~ # ~ ~ #u ~~~
& W
~~

molto flessibile, accel. poco

U ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#U ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#
~~
&

u
"
& W

,
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
f
p
sul A slow, accel.

fast
accel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U U

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U # ~ # ~~~~~~~
U
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

~
~
~
~
~
~~~~~~ ~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
&
~~~~~
"
p
"
f
p
sf
& W
sul G

fast, rit.

* drone, sempre pp completely independent of dynamics

** with a very wide, free singing vibrato; primitive, gutteral

Copyright 2007 Justin Merritt (ASCAP)

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

sul G (!)

&

&W

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wild Vibrato!
~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
b ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
p
!
f
P

F
!

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~~~~~
~
~
~
~
~

~
& b ~~~~~
w

II.

U
"

j
j
j
j
j
.

& .

> > # > n >

>
>
>

j
j
b

#
&

> > # #
>
>
>
Allegro possibile

j r
..
N

& #b b
b # # # n
>
p sub.

..

r
b r

>
>
j

#b

n > >
>

#
# b # b
# > > b n b > > b n
>
>

#
b n
b b
&

b > > b b n

b >
>
>

& ##
b > b n
>

# #

b b n
> b > b n >

3
4

#
#
> b >
>

2#
4 b b n
>

.. b n
#
b
& #

b > b n b > b b n

>
>
>
>
Standard Deviation pg. -2-

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