Improvisations on an English Folk Tune for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano

Improvisations on an English Folk Tune [2004]: The melody that I use as the basis for this cycle of nine improvisations, known as "Scarborough Fair," is from an anonymous English folk song that dates back to late medieval times. As a child, I first heard the tune in a popularized arrangement sung by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (from the 1966 album "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme"). This simple yet melancholy Dorian melody exhibits an exquisitely balanced phrase structure that ultimately allows for a variety of potential harmonizations, many of which I explore throughout the composition.

Improvisations on an English Folk Tune was commissioned in 2003 by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University, and premiered by the Third Angle New Music Ensemble in January 2005.

David Crumb