Our world premiere of Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s commissioned work for the Dover Quartet was chosen as the premiere of the month by The Strad magazine!
Tate’s Woodland Songs celebrates animals that represent different clans of the Eastern Woodlands People through the use of traditional Chickasaw melodies mixed with classical techniques. “In the piece I’m influenced by the songs of my Chickasaw tribe, but I’m also mirroring those songs back out to my ancestors through my modern Chickasaw lens,” he notes in the article.
“The movements are quite obvious in style,” he adds. “Squirrel is very chattery with lots of energy packed into it. It starts strong and is very fast and multi-metered. In Bird I’ve gone for a fluttery and busy sound. It is a little warmer but still high energy. Deer is a moment of poetic repose. I’m really diving into her spirit. It’s very focused and has a deep romantic energy. Fish has an oceanic and undulating sound to it, with ‘soaring melodies’ on top. And Raccoon, another high-energy movement, ‘expresses the survivor spirit of the animal. It finishes with a fast, celebratory warrior dance.”
