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Pascal's Theorems for cello and doublebass Pamela J. Marshall

A major work in three movements. The basic motive of the first movement is reminiscent of the three corners of a triangle, hence the title. The movements are:

  1. Preserving the Rough Road
  2. Darkness - Frozen Comet
  3. Skipping Stones

Written for the Axiom Duo, cellist Emmanuel Feldman and doublebassist Pascale Delache-Feldman presented a bravura premiere performance in 1997.

The composer writes:

"The idea for the piece started with a triangle. The three notes of the opening motive are its corners. The first and third movements develop and extend this three-note idea. Both are gestural, aggressive, and full of dynamic contrast.

"In contrast the second movement begins with long unmeasured notes. The tempo is "slow, outside of time". The score also tells the performers to let each interval settle in, listen to it, then move on. Just as the performers do, the audience can savor each harmony as if they were gazing at and hearing stars in a seemingly unchanging sky.

"When I was writing the piece in 1996, the comet Hyakutake was in the sky, and at the time of the premiere Hale-Bopp was visible."

Duration 16'

Parts are in large format to improve page turns.

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Pascal's Theorems score in Acrobat PDF format
306K
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4.2Mb
free Listen to an MP3 audio clip of Pascal's Theorems. Excerpts from all three movements, performed by the Axiom Duo.
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$12

Purchase the score and parts in Acrobat PDF format via PayPal. Two print-enabled files are delivered via email. No shipping charge.

The score is 8.5"x11" (letter size) and the parts are 8.5"x14" (legal size). For optimal page turns, the parts should be printed single-sided on 8.5"x14" sheets.

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