Beck: September Music for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Violoncello & Piano

September Music is in three movements, subtitled “Youth,” “Retrospect,” and “Joy Revealed.” It is a composition which doesn’t tell a story per se, but which had grown out of many of Beck’s thoughts and feelings at the time of its composition (early middle age). In the first movement, there is a sense of the carefree, of limitless opportunity. The music is mostly optimistic, although it is framed by a more pensive introduction, which returns as a brief coda: the present revisiting the past. The second movement continues in this mood, one which reflects doubt, and asks many questions.

Finally, there is a sense of epiphany in the final movement, where the music rediscovers some of the spirit of the opening, albeit in a new context. The overall title of the piece then is not only indicative of the actual season in which the piece was composed (the fall of 2002), but also of Beck’s own, personal place in this world when he was commissioned to write the work by composer Mark Carlson, the founder and artistic director of Pacific Serenades.

September Music is included on Beck’s 2011 recording, IonSound Project (innova 797); the first movement may be heard here.

Instrumentation: Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Violoncello & Piano
Duration: ca. 15′
Composed: 2003
Published by: Pacific Serenades