A new piece of music

Rob Davidson, our symphony's librarian and member of our viola section for ten years, has provided Pentamerous One for tonight's performance. Rob is a resident of Hanover Ontario where he has lived with his wife, Dana, since 1988. His orchestral composing efforts had been on a 34 year hiatus while he worked as an elementary school teacher. His last orchestral composition, a work for woodwinds, pipe organ, string bass, percussion and electric razor, was performed while he was a music student at Wilfrid Laurier University. Rob has also written a couple small pieces for string quartet in which he, and GBS cellist Sibylle Rupert, and GBS violinist Jane Cobean, are members.

Pentamerous means consisting of, or divided into, five parts. Pentamerous One, therefore, is the first movement in what will be a five movement work. Its beginning theme, as well as much of the piece, is in five metre, either 5/4 or 5/8. Writing in 5 metre often lends itself to syncopation and asymmetrical beat or bass lines. The piece is built over a bass line with beats on the first, third, and fifth beat.

It is a challenging piece, in parts, for which the orchestra members have been up to the task.