Roger Bourland - American Baroque

American Baroque
by Roger Bourland

Miwako Watanabe, violin
David Speltz, cello
Ayke Agus, piano

AMERICAN BAROQUE was commissioned by Mark Carlson and Pacific Serenades for their 1991-92 season. Like many of the music I was writing at that time, the form of the word is roughly palindrdomic, for instance ABCDEDC’B’A’. The sewing machine quality of the melody is something you will hear in this piece that vaguely evokes Baroque string music. I was in love with Ravel chamber music at that time, so you will hear a bit of that in the texture.

The chamber music I wrote in the early 1980s had a distinct Americana flavor to it. I say farewell to Americana in this piece, as my SEVEN POLLOCK PAINTING was an exorcism from atonality.

Roger Bourland