Night Songs (1) for violin and orchestra; (2) for violin and piano

Night Songs I & II (violin and piano)

Night Songs III (violin and piano)

Maya Maalouf, violin; Janet Peachey, piano

Night Songs for violin and orchestra was commissioned by violinist Mark Hartman and the Shippensburg (PA) University Community Orchestra and premiered by them in 2011. It was first written in the version for violin and piano and was premiered at the Sound in the Lands Festival in Waterloo, Ontario, in June, 2009 by Mark Hartman, violin, and Janet Peachey, piano.

The work incorporates two evening hymns: Now the Day is Over, written by Joseph Barnby in 1868, and Der Tag mit seinem Lichte, originally attributed to J. S. Bach and included in his collection of sacred songs, but actually written by Jakob Hintze in 1670. See Evening Hymns used in Night Songs.

Night Songs consists of three movements. The first two movements present the hymns: Now the Day is Over in the first and Der Tag mit seinem Lichte in the second, accompanied by the BACH motif (B flat-A-C-B). These movements are short and there is no pause between them. The third movement is longer, introducing and developing new material as well as material from the first two movements.

Night Songs

Duration: 12’