Scat (original instrumentation) (2007)

Composer note
The title Scat refers to the improvised singing style of jazz music in which the voice is used as an instrument. Scat singing is the technique of vocalizing either wordlessly or with gibberish words and syllables as employed by jazz singers who create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using only the voice. The free invention of melodies and syllables in, or as, soloistic passages is what truly distinguishes the scat singing technique.

All bowings are only suggestions to the string trio and can be changed freely.

All pizz. are l.v. molto

A piano can be substituted for the harpsichord, in which case, the piano player must make careful decisions about when to use the pedal for resonance of a given sonority and when to play secco. The musical phrases are clear and should make such decisions apparent.

— Augusta Read Thomas