Music in Bloom is an album of new music for old instruments by Chicago-based composer, Eric Malmquist (b.1985). Drawing on his deep love of early music, combined with modern influences, Malmquist uses old instruments and Baroque musical forms to create twenty-first century sounds that appeal to broader and younger audiences for Music in Bloom.
On the album:
The First Suite for Harpsichord (2017)
Suite for Baroque Flute D’Amore and Harpsichord (2018)
The Fair Singer (2018)
The Rose Cheek’d Laura (2018)
My Lute Awake (2019)
About the music
The harpsichord suite was written specifically for Charlie’s Italian-made Poggio virginal. The instrument has an arrangement of keys at the low end of the keyboard called a “short octave” that makes certain large intervals easy to attain. The instrument is also in an unequal temperament (quarter-comma meantone) that gives certain keys a more sonorous sound and others a bit of spice. The suite takes full advantage of these rich sounds in six short movements: the “Prelude” introduces the themes and sounds of the work; the “Bacáda” is dance-like; the “Passacaglia” is a lament; the “Reverie” is dream-like; the “Chaconne” is wild and virtuosic; and the “Benediction” concludes with a prayer for the future.
The suite for flute d’amore and harpsichord similarly takes advantage of the exquisite sound of an utterly unique baroque instrument. These movements are inspired by events in the modern world: the story begins with a “Prologue;” “The World Turned Upside Down” uses fragments of a Revolutionary War-era tune, also a time of uncertainty and toxicity; “Tree of Life” was written the day of the synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; “Crude Imitation” is literal, featuring imitation as a musical device; “Autumnal” is easy-going but with a slight chill that seems to fit the season; and “More Perfect” relates a hope for progress.
The three songs portray a wide spectrum of love in the Baroque–and of course, today. “Rose-cheek’d Laura” uses music as a metaphor for beauty, inside and out, while “The Fair Singer” features the irresistibility of beauty combined with talent. Finally, “My Lute Awake” portrays toxic obsession following rejection.
The Artists
Cover art by Josefien Stoppelenburg
Josefien Stoppelenburg was commissioned to paint the artwork for the CD cover. The painting features the harpsichord and flute d'amore prominently. If you look closely in the bottom righthand corner, you will see a little black cat, representing Eric Malmquist who loves cats!
Music in Bloom PREMIERE - January 2019
