Eklog

I feel this version is richer and more colorful than the previously uploaded Peterborough version, although the end can not be as soft!

Arthur Walter Kramer (1890 — 1969) was an American music critic, publishing executive, and composer. He studied music with his father, and took violin lessons and graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1910.

After graduation, Arthur Walter Kramer was on the staff of Musical America from 1910 to 1922, and served as its editor-in-chief from 1929 to 1936. From 1936 to 1956 he was managing director of the Galaxy Music Corp.

Arthur Walter Kramer published over 300 compositions, including orchestral pieces, choral works, chamber music, piano pieces, and songs.

"Eklog" was published by The Arthur P. Schmidt Co. in 1918.

An "eklog" was originally a selected piece, a selected poem of any content; collection of poems with similar content. This name became very common for Virgil's collection of shepherd poems. As these later during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were the main pattern for the shepherd's poem, the word eklog came to be used even in modern times as a term for the learned shepherd's poem.

For it's inspiration, Kramer quotes from
Theokritos II: "Bethink thee of my love, and whence it came, my Lady Moon!"

Theocritus (Theokritos), born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Sicilian poet and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry.

This work is quite effective. Certainly it's orchestrally conceived, and rather impressionistic.

The Salisbury Willis allows more "latitude" in colors, and I've tried to take advantage of that. :-)

In the edition, the registration was done by Pietro Yon (1886-1943), the great Italian virtuoso who made most of his career in NYC. I didn't follow his registration, but it was helpful.

The score is attached below, as well as photos of Pietro Yon and a likeness of Theokritos II.