Leo Ornstein's "Prelude and Minuette in Antique Style for Flute and Clarinet" Presentation
As a classical clarinetist, I have always aspired to broaden my understanding of what it means to communicate with my other classical musicians- to portray what the composer was trying to express to their audience with as much musical accuracy and musical detail as possible. It was so interesting to learn how composers would string together voice parts and how they would thus communicate with each other on a musical and emotional level. As a result, my fellow peer and classical musician, Danielle Deacon, and I created our own chamber ensemble at Westfield State University. It was our goal to create a safe, explorative and inventive environment in which we could explore chamber music and learn how to communicate with each other on both a physical and musical level. Prelude in Antique Style by Leo Ornstein (1895-2002) immediately caught my ear. Having been given this piece in chamber ensemble, Danielle and I instantly found a unique attachment to it and we fell in love with how the piece communicates between the flute and clarinet, with a lot of complex duple and triple rhythms and melodies, it almost sounds like they are having a conversation. Having been given this piece in chamber ensemble, Danielle and I instantly found a unique attachment to it and we fell in love with how the piece communicates between the flute and clarinet, with a lot of complex duple and triple rhythms and melodies, it almost sounds like they are having a conversation. Also, having never been professionally performed and analyzed, it was up to the two of us to analyze and interpret just how Leo Ornstein wanted the conversation to flow. It was such a unique experience learning this piece and we hope that you enjoy the performance!