European American Music Distributors Company is a member of the Schott Music Group

Joseph Schwantner

Silver Halo

flute quartet (2007)
Duration16'
CommissionFlute Force with support from the Brannen-Cooper Fund
Technical requirementsFlute 1: energy chime
Flute 2: piccolo, energy chime
Flute 3: alto flute
Flute 4: bass flute
PublisherSchott Music

Media

Program Note

I find the flute’s mercurial voice, its extraordinary dynamic, expressive and technical prowess, endlessly compelling. 

Silver Halo’s expanded instrumentation includes: C Flutes, Piccolo, Alto Flute, Bass Flute as well as a pair of Energy Chimes. The Energy Chime, a small single cylindrical metal bar approximately 5 inches long and suspended on a wooden frame, is played with a short plastic mallet and creates a high bell-like pitch of long duration. The work attempts to engage the virtuosic craft and the collective talents of these brilliant musicians.

Movement I: (“misterioso”) opens with the solitary striking of Energy Chimes [Flutes 1 and 2 onstage] followed by Alto Flute and Bass Flute responses played by Flutes 3 and 4 who are positioned (whenever possible) behind the audience. As they play their “processional” music, Flutes 3 and 4 proceed toward the stage. The initial separation of the musicians creates a “halo- like” environment that helps to define, clarify and frame the discrete flute voices in the sonic space. The ensemble gradually coalesces around a forceful “chase” section of C Flutes whose shifting meters and interlocking parts generate a propulsive monophonic texture of rapidly articulated phrases that ultimately unravel by movement’s end.

Movement II: (capriccioso e animato), opens with a single pitch F that abruptly expands into fast cascading wave-like gestures. The introduction is followed by a capricious and spirited calliope-like theme in Alto Flute that becomes the structural foundation for a process of continuously evolving harmonic and textural variations. These variations form the large-scale arch design that builds to the movement’s midpoint, then reveres the order of those sections in a palindrome fashion.

Movement III, (“piccante e percussivo”) drawing its materials and episodic design from both the “chase” music of Movement I and the “calliope” music of Movement II, first starts with the full ensemble in six-sixteen meter playing increasingly assertive gestures like the incessantly turning cogs of a clock. This texture progresses to a stately fanfare-like homophonic theme that gradually advances to the cumulative final climatic statement of the “chase” and “clockworks” music. 

- Joseph Schwantner

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Types of Products

Choral Score Set (8 copies) (Digital)

solo part and piano reduction (Digital)

solo part and piano reduction (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (6 scores required for performance) (Digital)

Performance Score (includes 4 scores) (Print)

Choral Scores (Digital - Bulk Purchase for Performance) (Digital)
This price covers the minimum cost of digital copies for performance.

Choral Score Set (Digital)

Choral Score Set (16 copies) (Digital)

Choral Score Set (License for 16 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (5 scores required for performance) (Digital)
Pricing reflects cost of 5 digital scores.

Full Score/Performance Score (8 scores required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (5 copies required for performance) (Print)

Vocal Score - single copy (Digital)

Vocal Score - license for single copy (Digital)

Vocal Score Set - 16 copies (Digital)

Vocal Score Set - License for 16 copies (Digital)

Vocal Score Set - 16 copies (Print)

Score (Digital)

Score (Print)

Volume 1 (Print)

Volume 2 (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (price reflects 5 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (6 scores needed for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (price reflects 6 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (price reflects 4 copies) (Digital)

Free ToneBase Digital Download (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (3 scores required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (3 scores required for performance) (Digital)

Free download with code ToneBaseFree (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (price reflects 3 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Choral Score (set of 12) (Digital)

Full Score/Choral Score (set of 12) (Print)

Voice and Piano Score (Digital)

Voice and Piano Score (Print)

Full score and Solo Part (Digital)

Full Score/Violin Part (Digital)

Full Score/Violin Part (Print)

Conductor Score (Print)

Score and part (Print)

Score and part (Digital)

Choral Score Set - 16 copies (Print)
Includes 8 copies of the soprano/alto part and 8 copies of the tenor/bass part.

Piano Reduction and solo parts (Digital)

Chamber Ensemble Score (Print)

Choral Score Set - 20 copies (Print)

Full Score (4 needed for performance) (Print)

Parts (Mov. 11 only) (Print)

Full Score (3 scores needed for performance) (Print)

Full Score (3 scores needed for performance) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (2 required for performance) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (2 required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (includes 3 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (includes 3 copies) (Print)

Choral Booklet (Digital)

Choral Booklet (Print)

Full Score in 3 volumes (Print)

Anthology edition (Print)

Choral Score (includes 4 copies) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (4 required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (4 required for performance) (Digital)

Piano reduction and solo part (Print)

Study Score in Two Volumes (Print)

Video and instructions (Digital)

Piano/Vocal Score (Digital)

Piano/Vocal Score (Print)

Choral Score Set (40 copies) (Print)

Score and Parts (Digital)
Score and part PDF files are delivered via email upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase.

Full Score (Digital)
A PDF file of the full score is delivered via email upon receipt.

Soprano/Alto Part (Print)

Choral Score Set (License for 50 copies) (Digital)

Full Score (Print)
A print edition of the score ships to the customer's address upon receipt.

Tenor/Bass Part (Print)

Parts (Digital)
A PDF file of the part(s) is delivered via email upon receipt.

Parts (Print)
A print edition of the part(s) ship to the customer's address upon receipt.

Solo Instrument Score (Digital)
A score PDF file is delivered via email upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. An email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer's email address.

Full Score/Performance Score (Digital)
The full score serves as a performance score for all players. A score PDF file is delivered via email upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. An email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer's email address.

Score and Parts (Print)
A print edition of the score and part(s) ship to the customer's address upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. The email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer.

Solo Instrument Score (Print)
A print edition of the score is shipped to the customer's address upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. An email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer's email address.

Full Score/Performance Score (Print)
The full score serves as a performance score for all players. Print edition(s) of the full score/performance score are shipped to the customer's address upon receipt. Multiple copies are included if the work has more than one player. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase.

Choral Score (Digital)
A PDF file of the choral score is delivered via email upon receipt. The set is priced to allow multiple copies of the PDF to be printed for performance by the purchasing organization only.

Study Score (print) (Digital)

Study Score (print) (Print)

Choral Score Set- 8 copies (Print)
Minimum order quantity is 8 copies. Single copies are not available.

SATB choral score (Print)

Vocal Score (Digital)

Vocal Score (Print)

Choral Score (Print)

Full Score and Solo Part (Print)
A print edition of the score and solo part ships to the customer's address upon receipt.

Mezzo-soprano, 2 tenors, baritone score (Print)

Study Score (Print)

Study Score (Digital)

SATB choral score (Digital)

Mezzo-soprano, 2 tenors, baritone score (Digital)