Musical contribution - July 2017

Intermezzo in F (Martin Zonnenberg)

Marjolein de Wit will be releasing a new album of her flute music later this year. Music-lovers who are familiar with her work and may even own one or more of her previous albums will be eager to hear this latest recording. I myself had the great fortune to be present when the album was recorded, as a contributing pianist. A number of engaging tracks were recorded in combination with strings, oboe and organ. Most of the tracks on this album were arranged by Martin Zonnenberg, who had also provided arrangements for previous recordings. Martin has worked for the EO Evangelical Broadcasting Company for many years and compiles the well-known TV show ‘Nederland Zingt’, featuring live praise and gospel music from choirs across the Netherlands.

During the recording, the theme of this Intermezzo lingered in the back of my mind, and I had the idea of offering the piece on the Johannus site. Martin was immediately willing to contribute this arrangement, for which we are very grateful.

The theme is very limited in scope: 5 notes with an ambitus of a quarter. We hear this repeated in F, D minor and B flat, returning through G minor to the dominant. Measures 7 and 8 follow a different course, incorporating several very colorful harmonies. I took the liberty of moving up or down an octave during the repeat. Other notable moments include measures 21 through 24 and the closing measures, due to the deviation in rhythm. It seems to be an 8/8 time signature. But note the distribution: 2,3,3 / 2,3,3 / 3,3,2. The effect is very surprising.

The registrations you hear in the recording are a matter of personal preference. Feel free to make minor or major changes as you like.

With musical regards,

André van Vliet