Flute, 2019
Duration: 6 minutes
In “Yussel’s Prayer”, a delightful children’s book by Barbara Cohen, Yussel is an orphan boy who is watching the cows on Yom Kippur while the rest of his village is praying. Yussel, knowing it is a special day, fashions a reed pipe and plays music, as he knows no prayers. This piece imagines his music, which is plaintive and soulful, with a dance that grows in energy in the middle.
Commissioned by the Flute New Music Consortium for the 2020 FNMC Flute Artist Competition.