Stall Song

for oboe and two guitars

Composed: 2001
Duration: 8'

Program Notes

Stall Song began as a piece for soprano and two guitars, on texts copied from a bathroom stall in one of the music buildings on the university campus where I teach. The text was not risqué; instead, it consisted of a rather amusing argument about religion and music practice schedules. It began with the words "Practice Saves," which apparently offended another person, who responded "Jesus Saves." A well-reasoned discussion ensued, covering most of the walls of the toilet stall. As the piece developed, the melodic line began to be difficult to sing. Rather than abandon the line – I was quite fond of it – I decided to abandon the soprano and the text, and they were replaced with an oboe. The singing, lyrical nature of the piece is retained and the rhythmic stresses in the oboe recitative near the beginning of the work come from the stress patterns of the original text.

Score and Recording

Click the PDF icon below for a viewable score in PDF format. For a printable score and other performance materials, including the necessary software, please contact me.