Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- Sarah Kirkland Snider
Selections from 'Unremembered' (2015)
- G Schirmer Inc (World)
Live performances of Unremembered are further brought to vivid, immersive life through the inclusion of the Unremembered artwork, created by the cycle’s writer/illustrator, Nathaniel Bellows. For image/video licensing information for Unremembered artwork, please write to nathaniel@nathanielbellows.com
arr. 2018
- va, egtr(gtr, melodica), hp, pf(melodica); live electronics (includes pre-recorded vocals)
- Soprano, Tenor [or Countertenor or Soprano in 'The Slaughterhouse']
- 18 min
- Nathaniel Bellows
- English
Programme Note
Related works:
Scenes from 'Unremembered' for vocal octet or choir and piano - 18'
Selections from 'Unremembered' for two voices, quartet, and electronics - 18'
The Swan from 'Unremembered' for voice and piano - 4'
Three Songs from 'Unremembered' for mezzo-soprano, chamber orchestra, and electronics - 16'
Unremembered for 7 voices, chamber orchestra, and electronics - 57'
Unremembered for 3 voices, chamber orchestra, and electronics - 57'
Unremembered for 3 voices, ensemble, and electronics - 57'
Songs:
1. The Guest
2. The Slaughterhouse
3. The Girl
4. The Swan
5. The Speakers
Songs can be performed separately.
Performance notes:
Unremembered is influenced by both Western classical and vernacular (indie rock/pop/folk) traditions. Vocally, the music desires a relaxed, natural approach, drawing on aspects of both classical and vernacular performance practice without leaning too far in either direction. Depending on the vocalists, amplification of both vocalists and ensemble may be advised.
Program note:
In full, Unremembered is an hour long, thirteen-movement song cycle inspired by poems and illustrations by writer and visual artist, Nathaniel Bellows. The piece was originally conceived for seven live voices and chamber orchestra; this arrangement of five of the songs requires two wide-ranged vocalists and puts the remaining five voices on pre-recorded tracks which are incorporated into the electronic sound design.
A meditation on memory, innocence, and the haunted grandeur of the natural world, Unremembered recalls strange and beautiful happenings experienced during a childhood in rural Massachusetts: a house-guest takes sudden leave in the middle of the night; a boy makes a shocking discovery on a riverbank; a girl disappears in woods behind a ranging farm; ghosts appear with messages for the living. The cycle explores the ways in which beguiling events in early life can resonate in — and prepare us for — the subtler horrors that lie beyond the realm of childhood.
An early version of five songs from Unremembered was commissioned by Roomful of Teeth in 2011. The next five songs were commissioned by the Ecstatic Music Festival and Kaufman Music Center in 2012. Three songs followed, and the entire cycle was newly orchestrated in 2013, followed by this arrangement of selected songs in 2018.
Scenes from 'Unremembered' for vocal octet or choir and piano - 18'
Selections from 'Unremembered' for two voices, quartet, and electronics - 18'
The Swan from 'Unremembered' for voice and piano - 4'
Three Songs from 'Unremembered' for mezzo-soprano, chamber orchestra, and electronics - 16'
Unremembered for 7 voices, chamber orchestra, and electronics - 57'
Unremembered for 3 voices, chamber orchestra, and electronics - 57'
Unremembered for 3 voices, ensemble, and electronics - 57'
Songs:
1. The Guest
2. The Slaughterhouse
3. The Girl
4. The Swan
5. The Speakers
Songs can be performed separately.
Performance notes:
Unremembered is influenced by both Western classical and vernacular (indie rock/pop/folk) traditions. Vocally, the music desires a relaxed, natural approach, drawing on aspects of both classical and vernacular performance practice without leaning too far in either direction. Depending on the vocalists, amplification of both vocalists and ensemble may be advised.
Program note:
In full, Unremembered is an hour long, thirteen-movement song cycle inspired by poems and illustrations by writer and visual artist, Nathaniel Bellows. The piece was originally conceived for seven live voices and chamber orchestra; this arrangement of five of the songs requires two wide-ranged vocalists and puts the remaining five voices on pre-recorded tracks which are incorporated into the electronic sound design.
A meditation on memory, innocence, and the haunted grandeur of the natural world, Unremembered recalls strange and beautiful happenings experienced during a childhood in rural Massachusetts: a house-guest takes sudden leave in the middle of the night; a boy makes a shocking discovery on a riverbank; a girl disappears in woods behind a ranging farm; ghosts appear with messages for the living. The cycle explores the ways in which beguiling events in early life can resonate in — and prepare us for — the subtler horrors that lie beyond the realm of childhood.
An early version of five songs from Unremembered was commissioned by Roomful of Teeth in 2011. The next five songs were commissioned by the Ecstatic Music Festival and Kaufman Music Center in 2012. Three songs followed, and the entire cycle was newly orchestrated in 2013, followed by this arrangement of selected songs in 2018.
