Miniatures from the Mountain

Commissioned by the One Book, One Philadelphia Program in early 2016, Miniatures from the Mountain was written for and premiered by Abi Fayette. These set of miniatures were inspired by the novel Cold Mountain. In the book, the author, Charles Frazier, alludes to specific fiddle tunes played by the character Stobrod Thewes. Upon further research of these titles, I found that they were actual fiddle tunes in the repertoire. My goal for this work was thus to try and combine both fiddle techniques and melodies with classical violin playing techniques and form. Each of these four short miniatures use direct quotes and themes from multiple fiddle tunes, and I also allude to some of the great violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye’s work.