Morning Song (Preview)

PROMETHEAN EDITIONS
VINCENT HO
Morning Song
Violin

VINCENT HO
Morning Song
Violin
PROMETHEAN EDITIONS
WELLINGTON

Morning Song (PE155), for Violin by Vincent Ho (2009) dedicated to
Sara Hiner
© Promethean Editions 2009
First edition © 2012 Promethean Editions Limited (201506)
Series Editor: Ross Hendy
Editor: Jared Commerer
ISBN: 978-1-877564-55-0 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-77660-155-4 (ebook)
ISMN: 979-0-67452-143-7
Promethean Editions Limited
PO Box 10-143
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
http://www.promethean-editions.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by
any means without permission in writing from the Publisher.
PE155 – 2

Vincent Ho (1975 )
Born in Ontario, Canada, Vincent Ho began his musical training at Canada’s Royal
Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where he received an Associate Diploma in Piano
Performance in 1993. Mentored by a series of composers including Allan Bell, David
Eagle, Christos Hatzis, Walter Buczynski, and Stephen Hartke, Ho gained degrees from the
University of Calgary and the University of Toronto, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the
University of Southern California. While still an undergraduate student, Ho was awarded
a scholarship to attend the Schola Cantorum Summer Composition Program in Paris,
France, where he received tuition from faculty of the Juilliard School of Music and the Paris
Conservatoire.
Ho sprang to prominence in 1999, when he received prizes for his first string quartet and his
piano work Three Scenes of Childhood, and an audience prize for the latter in the Toronto New
Music Festival. String Quartet No.1 received further recognition nearly a decade later when
it was nominated ‘Best Classical Composition of the Year’ in the Western Canadian Music
Awards following its release on CD.
Ongoing commissions have provided opportunities for Ho to produce many notable works
for orchestra, including Nighthawks (2000), Dragon Realms (2006), Red Zen (2008) and
Fallen Angel: In Memoriam Richard D’Amore (2008). Most significant is his Arctic Symphony
(2010), a work inspired by a trip to the Arctic, which has been described as ‘a mature and
atmospheric work that firmly establishes Ho among North American composers of note’
(Winnipeg Free Press). Additionally, Ho began a tenure as Composer in Residence with the
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 2007.
Ho’s music is rich and energetic—a unique integration of influences. His work often
demonstrates the capacity to coherently synthesise and convey the felt inspiration incited
by a multitude of artistic mediums. This amalgamation of influences is evidenced in
Four Paintings by Leestemaker (2005), which musically construes the ‘murky,’ unsettling
PE155 – 3

qualities communicated in the paintings of Leestemaker, and Arctic Symphony (2010), where
electroacoustic material is utilised in order to more effectively allow the listener to intuit
the natural soundscapes from which the work emerged, as well as the sense of wonder
experienced by the composer. Additionally, traditional classical music forms and the physical
properties of the instruments and ensembles for which Ho writes are all inherent influences
in his diverse and creative output. His music is sensual, sonorous and richly textured, and Ho
gives considerable attention to the audience’s experience of his intricate sound-worlds.
Latest information about the composer may be found at www.vinceho.com.
PE155 – 4

Morning Song (2009)
A quaint work for solo violin, Morning Song captures a moment of inspiration which
spontaneously arose as the composer witnessed the sun rising. The unpremeditated nature of
this moment is illuminated by way of fluid, timeless gestures for the violin (communicated
by feathered beaming in the score). Additionally, the performer is at times directed to express
a sense of ‘sighing’ or ‘falling’ during the performance of the work. Extensive use of glissandi
and occasional microtonal inflections inject a unique edginess in to this ‘morning song’.
Morning Song, originally included as part of Ho’s Sonata for Violin & Piano, is now also
considered a stand-alone work by the composer.
The composer writes:
This is a work I wrote early one morning while I was living in Glendale, California. While I
was in my studio, I could see from my window the sun slowly emerging over the horizon.
Struck by this beautiful moment, I decided to compose something there on the spot to
capture what I felt. By the time the sun was fully out, the piece was done.
Performance notes
• Accidentals apply only to the notes they immediately precede, except in the case where
notes are tied (accidentals carry through).
PE155 – 5

MORNING SONG
Vincent Ho
& ˙
Approximately Π= 72
molto espressivo; tempo rubato
∏
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œ Wœ
œ œ.
j
Wœ
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p
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ß F
Fp
sigh
r
œ ≈ Œ
∏
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p
& œ Wœ
œ Wœ
œ œ ≈ 3
œYœ
œ ‰ 6
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π
p
h
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fall
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F
Morning Song © 2009 Promethean Editions Ltd
This edition © 2012 Promethean Editions Ltd PE155 – 2
6
ISMN: 979-0-67452-143-7

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PE155 – 37

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