Schubert, Zenon (1934- )
Suita Dziecięca/Children’s Suite (7:50) Publisher: PWM (c1981)
I. Poranek/Morning
II. Wesoła Zabawa/Enjoying Ourselves
III. Samotne dzieciństwo/A Lonely Childhood
IV. Spełnione marzenia/Dreams Come True
V. Taniec Czarownic/Witches’ Dance
Instrumentation: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 bassoons
This programmatic Suite, written for eight instruments, is a very unique and at the same time fun work to play. Schubert maintains a non-tonal approach in each movement, with texture and rhythm being the principal elements of contrast. Each movement is titled, and depicts its title very well.
The first movement sounds very much like film music, and is very chromatic and neo-classical in style. The second movement is very rhythmical and the pairs of instruments play in rhythmical seconds or minor thirds making it sound very playful and dissonant. The third movement introduces even more dissonance by wide vibrato and pitch bending. This movement depicts a lonely childhood and the listener can really hear the emptiness, and loneliness in the sound. The fourth movement is characterized by very vertical chordal design, and is somewhat contrapuntal. The fifth movement is the most challenging of all, especially for the oboe and clarinet. Here these two instruments play many fast quintuplets and sextuplets.
Grade: IV-V
Recordings: none
Sheet music source: pwm.com.pl, sheetmusicplus.com
Zenon Schubert
Born in Grudziądz on May 14, 1934. He is a composer, professor and organist. He graduated from PWSM in Poznań with a degree in composition in 1965 and with a degree in organ performance in 1967. He was an active music teacher, and from 1971-89 a director of music school in Poznań. He also served as a president of the Association of the Artistic Classes in Wielkopolska, and he was a secretery of the board of the Poznań branch of Polish Composer’s Union. He worked as a journalist for the Poznań newspapers and radio. His numerous awards include the Golden Cross of Merit received in 1979 and Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta received in 1988. His compositional output includes orchestral, choral, vocal-instrumental, chamber, and solo works.