Compass Kaleidoscope

Compass Kaleidoscope
Composed by Andrea Clearfield (2015)
For Woodwind Quintet
Published by Cimarron Music Press

Instrumentation:
Flute and Alto Flute
Oboe, English Horn, and Triangle
Clarinet in Bb, Triangle, and Bass Clarinet,
Horn in F and Triangle
Bassoon and Triangle

Contents:
I.   Compass Kaleidoscope
II.  Old Maid's Ramble
III. Mexican Rose
IV.  Bleeding Hearts
V.   Windblown Square

Compass Kaleidoscope was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Quintet in celebration of their 30 Year Anniversary. I wanted to write a work for this ensemble comprised of Penn State Faculty members on a theme related to Pennsylvania: Amish quilts. Pennsylvania is noted for its longtime quilt making arts, a tradtion started in the early 1800's by Amish and Mennonite women in Lancaster county. Each of the five movements of the quintet is inspired by a different traditional quilt pattern chosen by a member of the quintet. The musical materials were derived from the geometric shapes, color palette, arrangement of blocks, the name of the design and traditional folk melodies. Some of the conpositional ideas were informed by the composer's synesthesia where particular pitches are associated with colors.