Missing Words: Book I (Collection of Missing Words I-V)

Missing Words: Book I (Collection of Missing Words I-V), Eric Nathan (2014-2018) 70'
for fifteen players

Missing Words (I-V), composed in homage to the newly-created German words presented in Ben Schott’s book, Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition (Blue Rider Press/Penguin Group). These Seinfeld-ian words illuminate everyday experiences for which English has no synonyms. The words are therefore “missing” from English, and Schott has proposed German words we can adopt into English as we have adopted Doppelgänger, Schadenfreude and Wanderlust. I love the wit, humor, pathos and intimacy of these words, and use the situations they evoke as points of departure for the music. The series as a whole speaks to the complexity of life and human experience, and how all the little bits of the everyday “present” can help us find deeper meaning in our own.

[The movement titles of Missing Words, and their translations and definitions, quote text from Schottenfreude by Ben Schott. Copyright © 2013 by Ben Schott. Used by permission of the author. All rights reserved.]

INCLUDES:

Missing Words I, for clarinet, bassoon, horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass 
I. Eisenbachscheinbewegung (Railway-Illusion-Motion) (3')
II. Herbstlaubtrittvergnügen (Autumn-Foliage-Strike-Fun) (1'30")
III. Fingerspitzentanz (Fingertips-Dance) (3')

Missing Words II, for brass quintet
I. Leertretung (Void-Stepping) (2'30")
II. Kraftfahrzeugsinnenausstattungsneugeruchsgenuss (Automobile-Interior-Furnishing-New-Aroma-Pleasure) - "New Car Smell" (2'30")
III. Brillenbrillanz (Spectacles-Luminosity) (5')

Missing Words III, for violoncello and piano
I. Rollschleppe (Escalator-Schlep) (4'30")
II. Mundphantom (Mouth-Phantom) (4'30")
III. Straußmanöver (Ostrich-Maneuver) (5')
IV. Schubladenbrief ((Desk-)Drawer-Letter) (3')

Missing Words IV, for flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, violoncello
I. Erkenntnisspaziergang (Cognition-Stroll) (6')
II. Dreiecksumgleichung (Triangle-Reorganization) (5')
III. Tageslichtspielschock (Daylight-Show-Shock) (7')

Missing Works V, for violin, violoncello, and piano
I. Ludwigssyndrom (Ludwig's Syndrome) (6')
II. Kissenkühlelabsal (Pillow-Chill-Refreshment) (4')
III. Watzmannwahn (Watzman-Delusion) (3')

Premiere recordings of the complete Missing Words (2014-2021) series
Missing Words I for clarinet, bassoon, horn, string quartet, double bass
Missing Words II for brass quintet
Missing Words III for violoncello and piano
Missing Words IV for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, violoncello
Missing Words V for violin, violoncello, piano