Summer Nocturne

Summer Nocturne was written in 1981 for Jonathan Helton and premiered by him that same year at the North Carolina School of the Arts, with later performances both in Europe and this country. Its movements are head by the following poetic quotations:

• “The night has a star of its own” from Blizzard by Marie Graybeal
• “Go and catch a falling star” from Song by John Donne
• “The night in silence under many a star” from When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d by Walt Whitman

The sound and symbols of the poetry inspired the work as a musical experience rather than as a literal musical representation of their meaning. Therefore, the poetry only suggets the catalyst rather than specifically indicates what the music is about. The musical experience is the intent. The work is played without major pauses between the short movements.