Apple Tree Suite
Text Source
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Music
Don "Orfeo" Rechtman
Instrumentation
String orchestra
Sheet Music
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Full Score A4 PDF
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Recording
Synthesized (and very rough) MP3 renditions of the three movements:
I. Golden Delicious (5.1MB)
II. Valse Senescens (1.8 MB)
III. Haunt Reminiscence (9.8 MB)
Video
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Practice Tracks
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Lyrics Printout
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The Apple Tree Suite for string orchestra consists of three movements, each with its own dedication:
I. Golden Delicious. Duration: 4:30
It was “Commissioned for the 50th Birthday of Matthew Aron Appelbaum by Katharine Joni Teter.”
The melody and counter melody are derived from the letters in their names that match musical note names, thus: Matthew Aron Appelbaum yields the melody A B E A A E Bb A (“h” translates as “B” and “b” as “Bb” from the German); from Katharine Joni Teter comes the counter-melody A H A E E E. The first half has a decidedly mid-East feel, reflective of Mr. Appelbaum’s Jewish heritage; much of it is in 5/4 time, and plays the two name’s melodies in complement to each other. The second half is a beautiful setting of the melodies as a gentle waltz.
II. Valse Senescens. Duration: 1:30
The dedication reads “For Mom on her 77th Birthday.”
This movement is as concise as it is short. It is a lush sound with muted celli and violas in a dialogue with response coming from unmuted violins. It is very French in sound, and has a feel similar to Satie’s music. It’s the kind of occasionally delightful piece you’d expect to hear in between NPR All Things Considered stories, or as the introductory music to a cooking show by one of Julia Child’s protégées. (Either or both would be welcome!)
The word Senescens refers to aging, to “becoming gray.”
III. Haunt Reminiscence. Duration: 8:30
The dedication reads “For Dad on his 81st Birthday.”
This movement seems to be in the fast sections a cross between Hungarian dances, Israeli Klezmer music, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and in the slow section something vaguely both Irish and Beethoven-ish. The first fast section is the “haunting;” the slow section, a Sicilienne (a slow, stately dance), is the “reminiscence;” the final (fast) section is the cohesion of the two (the “haunt reminiscence”). It is written to be a showpiece for a very good high school level or better string orchestra.
The first two movements are playable by high school level musicians, although the second movement calls for divided violas and cellos. The third movement requires at least near-professional level players for an effective performance.
Don “Orfeo” Rechtman
February 12, 2003