Out for a Walk

OUT FOR A WALK. OMP271,
2017, SATB. Sc 12 pp, pts 4 pp ea.

This suite begins with the walk Through the Valley," in 3/4 time with the dotted-half note counted as the beat. While it is pleasant and sweet, the harmonies can be unpredictable. Its ABA form is defined by key changes. Not until the second A are the quarters and half-notes complicated by eighths.
Along the Precipice" sports an entertaining ragtime rhythm in the soprano line. Eccles's humour really shines in this one, particularly in the spots depicting our extreme care to keep from pitching off the cliff. One player suggested Hallowe'en as the mood of this piece.
"Caught in a Downpour" features lots of syncopation and pretty little melodies. Stepwise motion that is parallel among the voices is prominent, so that even on sight-reading, dynamics come naturally as pitches rise and fall.
Hurrying Home"' is nearly frantic with eighth notes, leaps and chromatics-and, when the upper voices have dotted halves and whole notes together, the bass part sprints through them in eighth-note runs. It all ends abruptly, as Eccles is wont to do.  

This suite is graded Difficult" on the Orpheus web site. Its good humour will be appreciated on a concert.
Kathleen Arends has enjoyed playing recorders for over 40 years and being an Orff music educator for some 35. She teaches and plays in the Seattle (WA) area.