23 May Bouquet
Bouquet is a kind of potpourri, a weaving together of instrumental melodies which are wholly derived from poetic texts–texts used as elements in my recent wedding. This is a practice sometimes disparaged as eclectic, as “mere assemblage”, perhaps because it unites disparate styles of music, both the holy and the unholy. Yet it has enjoyed great favour among composers for centuries, with such diverse results as medieval isorhythmic motets, much opera and film music, and sampled music.
Bouquet was written in 1998 for The Burdocks, at the behest of their Artistic Director, Martin Arnold, who commissioned it with the assistance of The Ontario Arts Council. It is dedicated to my wife, Juliet Palmer.
