“A beauty is Tiefer und Tiefer for strings. What a splendid intense sounding simplicity.”
Hans Visser
Gooi en Eemlander, 2010

• For piano, chamber ensemble, or orchestra
• Duration: 14:00

The Fiddler of Balleykeel
Tiefer und Tiefer
Ewig Du
Ehemals

May be performed separately
For orchestral settings, Raise the Colors may be added
Perusal score available upon request

Stream Traditional Pieces on the album: Orchestral Works

Stream Traditional Pieces on the album: Piano Pieces

COMPOSER’S NOTES
“Tiefer und Tiefer” means deeper and deeper. It changes key after every six measures, but is strictly diatonic in between. “Fiddler” is strictly diatonic throughout. Since the tunes seemed Irish when they occurred to me, I harmonized them mostly in fourths and fifths. Then I needed a title. My own patronymic ancestors appear to have come from a suburb of Belfast call Ballymoney. Since “The Fiddler of Ballymoney” by Getty might raise unintended nuances, I moved my ancestors a few miles away to Ballykeel. “Ewig Du” (Forever You), which owes much to the spirit of Schubert, was set for piano some twenty years ago. So was “Ehemals” (Once Upon a Time) which is more in the style of a later waltz king.