AND EZRA THE SCRIBE STOOD UPON A PULPIT              

Horn Trio

Violin, Horn and Piano

2014

12’

Published by International Horn Society

Sample Score, Recording and Purchase from IHS

PROGRAM NOTE

According to the Hebrew Bible, a high priest named Ezra the Scribe returned from the Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah–the five books of Jewish liturgy–to Jerusalem around 450 BCE.  Ezra is credited with strengthening Jewish life, rejuvenating Torah study, and instilling aspects of religious observance that have lasted until the present. Ezra the Scribe is metaphorically referred to as the Springtime in the national history of Judaism, a time of great flowering.

My horn trio attempts to conjure up impressions of this fascinating chapter in Jewish history.  The music shows influences of jazz and the Jewish liturgy: you can imagine a distant Duke Ellington in one section, in another is a very (to some) recognizable motive from the Torah service.  The fast middle section, subtitled "Camel Dance," serves as my impression of Ezra and his entourage coming down from Babylon to Jerusalem.

And Ezra the Scribe Stood Upon a Pulpit was commissioned by the Music in the Mishkan series at Congregation Sh'ar Zahav in San Francisco, where it was premiered on 5 February 2012 by Randy Weiss, violin, Meredith Brown, horn and Marilyn Thompson, piano.

Score pages 1