James Shields: Black is the Color...

Black is the color... James Shields, 2014 Emily Cole, violin James Shields, bass clarinets 1 & 2 A loose set of variations on the Scottish folk tune “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” this trio was composed for and premiered by two of my closest friends. David Felberg (violin) and Andrew Brown (clarinet) and I were in New Mexico to perform a concert at the historic Andaluz Hotel in downtown Albuquerque, and on a whim I decided to compose this odd trio for us to perform on an elicit program. In spite of its unusual instrumentation, this piece has seen several repeat performances and turned out a useful program filler. Like the original tune, this work is bittersweet throughout. The opening statement presents the tune fairly unadorned in a 3-voice canon at the quarter note. A pandiantonic harmonization defines the 2nd “variation” on the tune, providing richer harmonies. This choral descends to settle in a murky world anchored by the Bass Clarinets’ low-register, setting the stage for a long build up to a climactic surge. This apotheosis is short-lived, never gaining a true emotional triumph, and comes crashing quickly down to a more inward and reflective exhalation of energy. This sets the stage for our final variation, which is a broken and breathy utterance. Halting and melancholy, the harmonies and stuttering syncopations in the accompaniment almost lend a strange “Death Cab for Cutie” energy to the conclusion of this short work.