Program Notes for Laurel Branches
Laurel Branches is a setting of four traditional folk songs. The melodies come from Cecil Sharp’s famous collection English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. Sharp found many of the songs, including a couple of those used in this piece, in the “Big Laurel” region of the North Carolina mountains—hence the title.
Each movement follows the same basic plan: an introduction in a mood suggested by the text of the song, followed by a set of variations on the melody. The first and third songs are lyrical and somewhat serious; the second and fourth are lighter and more scherzo-like in character.
The instrumentation is reed quartet – oboe (doubling English Horn), clarinet (doubling bass clarinet), alto saxophone (doubling soprano) and bassoon.
This purchase will give you access to a .zip file containing all parts to Laurel Branches.
Eddie Bass is a native of North Carolina and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received the Ph. D. degree in 1964. He is Professor Emeritus of Music and Coordinator of Composition at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Before coming to UNCG he taught trumpet and music theory at Marshall University in West Virginia. He has composed for a variety of media, including orchestra, wind ensemble, chorus, vocal soloists, and chamber ensembles. His music has been performed throughout the U. S., in Canada, Britain, Russia, and the Far East.