Birtwistle, Harrison. (b. 1934)
The Triumph of Time - Full Score
London: Universal Edition. 1974. Full score to the important British composer's work for winds, brass and percussion, composed in 1971-1972. Facsimile edition in the composer's handwriting. [PN] UE 15518 L. [iii], 53 pp. Errata and additional instructions are mounted on the verso of the title page. 11.5 x 17.5 inches (29.2 x 44 cm). PLEASE NOTE THE LARGE FORMAT WILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL SHIPPING FOR INTERNATIONAL ORDERS."The title of this orchestral work is taken from an engraving by Pieter Breughel the Elder which Birtwistle encountered only once he had begun writing the piece, but which seemed entirely apt. The engraving depicts a procession of allegorical figures – Time, Death and Fame – moving across a desolate landscape, trampling over the ephemeral objects of earthly life, while in the background are represented eternal events such as the turning tides and seasons. Similarly, the music suggests a slow procession of musical ideas in the context of repeated events (amplified english horn and soprano saxophone melodies) and familiar objects (quotations from The Fields of Sorrow and Chorale from a Toy-Shop). It confirms Birtwistle’s preoccupation with a new kind of non-narrative temporality, where recurrent musical objects are viewed in different lights and from constantly changing perspectives." (Jonathan Cross, New Grove.) (14381)
Printed Music Classical Music