HIT THE NOTE for flute choir

PROGRAM NOTE
When conducting or performing I have always enjoyed using the slang musicians have conjured up over the years to make rehearsals more entertaining and efficient. The inspiration for this work resulted from overhearing a conversation in which a percussionist discussed a taxing rehearsal. When describing the rhythmic accuracy of a difficult entrance the percussionist repeatedly spoke the phrase, “hit the note”.  I immediately became enamored with this phrase and added it to my music lexicon.  Besides it meaning, I found the phrase to be fun to say. Playing with the durations and modulations of words in the phrase led to two rhythmic motifs that figure prominently in the work. In its development, this composition reflects those rehearsal moments all musicians have experienced…that passage requiring an emphatic “Hit the Note”!

DURATION
5 minutes

PREMIERED BY
South Shore Conservatory Flute Symphony, Donald Zook, director, July 31, 2019, Hingham, Massachusetts.