This evening, Minnesota-based quartet Zeitgeist will premiere “The North Star,” for clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, and 2 percussion. It is such an honor to be working with an ensemble that has built a legacy of over 40 years of performing, commissioning, outreach, and advocacy for new music. They will also perform “The North Star on October 13-14 as a continuation of the Here and There: Zeitgeist and No Exit Ensemble series, as well as another performance in Duluth, MN as part of the Greenlight New Music Festival. More information about GNMF can be found here. Program Notes for “The North Star:”
“The North Star” serves as a historical and cultural tour of Minnesota’s main industries: logging, mining/shipping, agriculture, and manufacturing/technology. Inspired by traditional folk music, cultural records, state anthems, and binary computer and Morse codes, this work celebrates Minnesota and its important contributions to the United States, past and present. “The North Star” was composed for Zeitgeist, a Minnesota-based, musical icon.
Movement 1 quotes the melody from Minnesota logger Michael Cassius Dean’s, “The Falling of the Pine.” Movement 3 quotes the state song, “Hail! Minnesota,” composed by Truman E. Rickard and Arthur E. Upson. Both pieces are in public domain. Access to the sheet music was available through the Minnesota Folksong Collection and Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State (accessed in summer 2018 online).