The Evangelical

Opus Number
26
Date
1986, Boston
Duration
5 minutes
Instrumentation
two pianos
Recording
Larry Bell, Michael Dewart, duo-pianists, recorded July 22, 1992, for WGBH radio broadcast; tapes at The Boston Conservatory of 1987 and 1991 performances
Purchase Score
Premiere

Premiere performance: Larry Bell, Michael Dewart, duo-pianists, November 7, 1986, The Boston Conservatory

Subsequent performances

Larry Bell, Michael Dewart, duo-pianists, Composers Forum, Boston University, November 1987; Larry Bell, Michael Dewart, duo-pianists, November 7, 1986, April 21, 1987, March 5, 1991, The Boston Conservatory

Program notes

The Evangelical is a transcription of the second movement of Bell’s Sacred Symphonies for Orchestra. That movement of the Sacred Symphonies draws melodically from the second of the Four Sacred Songs,  “Take the Name of Jesus with You.” The title The Evangelical refers to the general character of the movement, optimistic and unrelenting, and also to its religious origins. The form is ternary with a middle section that includes many simultaneous tonalities. The first and last sections are characterized by their insistent rhythm.

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