Across
Date Composed: April, 2022
First Recording Rights Exclusivity: Duo Leon until April, 2025
Duration: Approx. 5:50
Premiere: Jul. 30, 2022 at IDRS by Duo Leon (Hannah Hite, harp; Susan Miranda, oboe)
Program Notes (written by Theresa Martin)
Across was commissioned in 2022 by Dúo León, consisting of Hannah Palmquist Hite, harp, and Susan Miranda, oboe. This piece is part of Dúo León’s larger project of commissioning pieces by Midwestern women for all five of Minnesota’s National Parks, the St. Croix River being one of them. The St. Croix flows borders Wisconsin, where I live, and Minnesota, where Susan and Hannah live, and flows into the Mississippi. Both Hannah and Susan also have personal connections to the St. Croix River, with Hannah celebrating her wedding in 2020 at the riverside, and Susan and her daughter exploring the St. Croix in their quest to visit all 423 national park sites. Hannah and Susan decided the focus of the piece would be the river in springtime. I am very grateful to Susan and Hannah for providing me with such detailed and rich material to help us all connect with the piece.
Saint Croix literally means “holy cross.” How the river got its name is uncertain, but many stories link the name St. Croix to the early missionaries in the later 1600s. One story credits the name to French priests, who saw the shape of a holy cross in the river's right angle junction with the Mississippi. Another version attributed the name to a rock formation on the bank of the river that appeared to have the shape of a cross. The more widely accepted story credits its name to a French fur trader named St. Croix or Croix who allegedly was drowned or buried at the mouth of the river.
Comparing these three inspirations: rivers, spring, and the Christian Cross, I realized are all symbols of hope, renewal, new life, love, growth, and transformation. All are also eternal (or continuous), symbolize constant change, and occur across time. I further reflected that crossing a river is necessary to overcome barriers, and when you overcome barriers in life, it helps you grow as a person. This is how the title Across came to me.
A major theme that was apparent to me was this paradox of continuity—the quality of something that does not change as time passes, and flux—continuous change, passage or movement. A river, like time, is ever changing, but is always continuously flowing. One way I tried to capture the essence of the river’s restless motion and ceaseless change was with constant but varied motion of eighth notes in the harp part.
The piece begins in the highest registers of both the harp and oboe, symbolizing the upper river, which is narrow, cold, wild, pristine, and remote. Descending melodic lines in the oboe flow into lower registers, representing the lower river, which is wide, warm, broad, lake-like, and more populated.
A middle section features tapping on the body of the harp and an echoing musical gesture between the harp and oboe. One could imagine it is reminiscent of growth, culture, business (of wildlife and people), and opportunity.
Inspired by growth in springtime, the overall mood of the piece radiates vibrancy, freshness, and strength. Musical gestures are constantly changing and developing throughout the piece. The piece finishes with a nod to eternity.