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Nightsongs

Nightsongs
Richard Peaslee
(b. June 13, 1930 in New York City; d. August 20, 2016 in Seattle)

Born in New York City in 1930, Peaslee amassed accolades from Yale as a Phi Beta Kappa undergrad and from Juilliard where he earned his master’s, taking time out in between to serve as an artillery instructor in the U.S. Army. Mid-career his instruction from William Russo, arranger for the famed Stan Kenton big band, led Peaslee to find his own distinctive voice. Nightsongs, composed in 1973 and an early piece from his post-Russo era, premiered in Carnegie Hall later that year. Harold Lieberman, a respected New York trumpeter for whom it was written, was the soloist. It was unusual as it called for the soloist to switch between the traditional trumpet and the flugelhorn (its bashful big brother) during the performance. The piece unfolds over nine and a half minutes in a single movement and follows an ABACDA format. 

Peaslee earned several prestigious awards such as the Obie, the National Academy of Arts and Letters Marc Blitzstein Award, and fellowships from esteemed institutions. Nightsongs has remained in print and performed regularly in recital ever since its first performance. Trumpet majors who also choose to adapt their technique to the flugelhorn, the lower pitched larger instrument, gravitate toward Nightsongs as one of the finest solo pieces available. Several other arrangements are available for other instrumentations, showing its broader appeal.

Peaslee is remembered as a generous teacher who cared deeply about imparting his knowledge and passion to future generations.

A fine roadmap to the piece is available on the Internet in the 2023 Master of Music thesis by Rachel Bartleman. Here is an abstract for each of the ABACDA sections.

A (c. 2’ for flugelhorn) At a "Moderate Flowing" pace, the melody here leans on syncopated rhythms, drawing attention to the flugelhorn's dark, low register.

B (c. 50” for trumpet) Transitions to a "Slower–Expressive" mood. Here Peaslee uses a twelve-tone row, the technique developed by Schoenberg, Webern, and others in the early 20th century which has had at best grudging appreciation by concertgoers. In this brief context, however, Peaslee keeps the audience with him through rhythmic and textural elements.

A (c. 1’ for flugelhorn) Enough of 12-tone music! A blessed reprise of the initial material.

C (c. 2’50” for flugelhorn) Marked as "Slow," roughly the pace of the B section, there are new challenges for the flugelhorn, especially with its leaps from F-sharp to high G-sharp.

D (c. 1’ 30” for trumpet) At a "Fast" tempo, with frequent meter changes, 4/4, 5/4, and 3/4 time signatures. Melodic lines initially follow scalar steps and then progress to intervals of thirds.

A (c. 2’ 10” for flugelhorn) Returns to the “Moderately Flowing” pace of the beginning. The end comes with a long low trill by flugelhorn, violins sustaining soft high notes, and one pizzicato low G from the double bass.

© 2010, 2015, 2023 by Steven Hollingsworth, Creative Commons Public Attribution 3.0 United States

 

Nightsongs

Nightsongs
Richard Peaslee
(b. June 13, 1930 in New York City; d. August 20, 2016 in Seattle)

Born in New York City in 1930, Peaslee amassed accolades from Yale as a Phi Beta Kappa undergrad and from Juilliard where he earned his master’s, taking time out in between to serve as an artillery instructor in the U.S. Army. Mid-career his instruction from William Russo, arranger for the famed Stan Kenton big band, led Peaslee to find his own distinctive voice. Nightsongs, composed in 1973 and an early piece from his post-Russo era, premiered in Carnegie Hall later that year. Harold Lieberman, a respected New York trumpeter for whom it was written, was the soloist. It was unusual as it called for the soloist to switch between the traditional trumpet and the flugelhorn (its bashful big brother) during the performance. The piece unfolds over nine and a half minutes in a single movement and follows an ABACDA format. 

Peaslee earned several prestigious awards such as the Obie, the National Academy of Arts and Letters Marc Blitzstein Award, and fellowships from esteemed institutions. Nightsongs has remained in print and performed regularly in recital ever since its first performance. Trumpet majors who also choose to adapt their technique to the flugelhorn, the lower pitched larger instrument, gravitate toward Nightsongs as one of the finest solo pieces available. Several other arrangements are available for other instrumentations, showing its broader appeal.

Peaslee is remembered as a generous teacher who cared deeply about imparting his knowledge and passion to future generations.

A fine roadmap to the piece is available on the Internet in the 2023 Master of Music thesis by Rachel Bartleman. Here is an abstract for each of the ABACDA sections.

A (c. 2’ for flugelhorn) At a "Moderate Flowing" pace, the melody here leans on syncopated rhythms, drawing attention to the flugelhorn's dark, low register.

B (c. 50” for trumpet) Transitions to a "Slower–Expressive" mood. Here Peaslee uses a twelve-tone row, the technique developed by Schoenberg, Webern, and others in the early 20th century which has had at best grudging appreciation by concertgoers. In this brief context, however, Peaslee keeps the audience with him through rhythmic and textural elements.

A (c. 1’ for flugelhorn) Enough of 12-tone music! A blessed reprise of the initial material.

C (c. 2’50” for flugelhorn) Marked as "Slow," roughly the pace of the B section, there are new challenges for the flugelhorn, especially with its leaps from F-sharp to high G-sharp.

D (c. 1’ 30” for trumpet) At a "Fast" tempo, with frequent meter changes, 4/4, 5/4, and 3/4 time signatures. Melodic lines initially follow scalar steps and then progress to intervals of thirds.

A (c. 2’ 10” for flugelhorn) Returns to the “Moderately Flowing” pace of the beginning. The end comes with a long low trill by flugelhorn, violins sustaining soft high notes, and one pizzicato low G from the double bass.

© 2010, 2015, 2023 by Steven Hollingsworth, Creative Commons Public Attribution 3.0 United States