Nightshade - Score

Deadly Nightshade
Theme on a 3rd Grade Rhythm
Amber Sheeran
© 2023, Amber Sheeran, ASCAP, all rights reserved

Deadly Nightshade
Theme on a 3rd Grade Rhythm
Instrumentation:
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Bass
Program Notes:
This piece, as the subtitle may suggest, came about because of a rhythm that one of my 3rd grade
classes made up. We were doing a little bit of “Erase and Replace” to work on the rhythm
“ti-tika” or “eighth note-two sixteenth notes” for the non Kodaly people out there. The rule was
there had to be at least one “ti-tika” in the rhythm at all times. By this point, the class had learned
triplet and evidently, were feeling adventurous. So, after many rounds of “Erase and Replace”
they eventually got to this rhythm:
I thought it was one of the coolest 8-beat rhythms I had ever encountered, so I told them I was
going to save this rhythm and make something out of it. Once I had finished the piece, it needed
a name, and despite the fact that the nature-themed title is very on-brand for what I usually name
my pieces, I did not come up with this one. I was actually really struggling with a name for this
piece until I thought, who better to name it than the kids that inspired it. So after a short lesson
about matching the name of the piece to the sound of the song, they listened to the piece and
gave me suggestions for the name. I was committed to naming it whatever they voted for, so for
a little while, I was afraid this piece was going to be called “Deadly Chicken Nugget”. But the
top three contenders ended up being You’re Next, The Night You Die, and Deadly Nightshade,
with Deadly Nightshade winning the vote by 2 points. Honorable mentions include El Muerto,
Hypnotize, and Nightmare.

Score
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Contrabass
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
5
Ethereal ( = 52)
sul tasto
sul tasto
pizz.
sul pont.
3
Deadly Nightshade
Theme on a 3rd Grade Rhythm
3
sul pont.
arco
3
© 2023, Amber Sheeran, ACAP, all rights reserved
Amber Sheeran

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
2
9
Deadly Nightshade
ord.
ord.
molto rit.
12 Con Fuoco ( = 144)
ord.
3 3
ord.
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
13
3 3
3 3
3
3
3
3
3 3

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
17
3 3
Deadly Nightshade
3 3
3
3
3
3
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
21
3 3
3 3
3
3
3
3 3
3
3

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
4
25
3 3
3 3
3 3
3 3
Deadly Nightshade
3 3
3 3
3
Vc.
3
Cb.
3
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
29
3 3
3
3
3 3
3 3
3 3
3 3

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
33
3 3
3 3
3
3
3
Deadly Nightshade
3 3
3
3
5
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
37
3
3
38
3 3
3
3 3
3
3

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
6
41
3 3
pizz.
Deadly Nightshade
3 3
3
3
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
45
3 3
3 3
3 3
3
3
3
3
3
Cb.

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
49
53
3 3
3 3
3 3
3 3
Deadly Nightshade
3
3
7
3
pizz.
3
3
3

8
Deadly Nightshade
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
57
3 3
arco
3 3
arco
3
3
3
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
molto rit.
61
3 3
3
3
3 3
3 3
3 3
63 Ethereal ( = 52)
3
3

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
65
69
3
3
3
Deadly Nightshade
3
71
pizz.
sul pont.
3
9

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
10
73
77
Deadly Nightshade
3
sul pont.
arco
Vc.
Cb.
3

Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
80
ord.
ord.
Deadly Nightshade
82
Fierce ( = 150)
molto rit.
3 3
3 3
3 3
3 3
11
Vln. I
Vln. II
Vla.
Vc.
Cb.
84
3
3
sub.
sub.
sub.
sub.
sub.
3
3
3 3
3 3
3 3
3 3
3 3
3
3
3 3
3 3
3 3
div.