The Music of William Horne
This four-movement sonata swings between dark, lyrical moods (movements I and III) and energetic displays of virtuosity (movements II and IV). “[Horne’s Bassoon Sonata] is another terrific piece, one that is involving from first to last.” (Colin Clarke in Fanfare) You can hear a fine performance of this work by bassoonist Scott Bartlett and pianist Jeannette Fang nearby.
These three short, lyrical pieces were written in memory of a young girl, a high-school senior, who loved to play the saxophone and who, for reasons that we will never know, took her own life. Her funeral was among the saddest I have ever attended. But the moods of these pieces are by no means sad. Rather, I aimed to write lyrical, even playful music, to express the beauty of her life. You can hear a fine performance of this work by saxophonist Edward Goodman and pianist Hyae-jin Whang nearby.
My second Violin Sonata, in four movements, was written for my friend, violinist Amy Thiaville. The first movement, with musical ideas that are alternately lyrical and crisp, is followed by a quick, intense scherzo and trio. The lyrical third movement is the expressive center of the work. The fourth movement bristles with acerbic, witty energy. You can hear nearby a fine performance by Amy Thiaville, violin, and Brian Hsu, piano.
These three short works, alternately vivacious and lyrical, exhibit “passage after passage of glowing autumnal warmth.” Colin Clarke, Fanfare “Undemanding and tuneful as [the Cello Bagatelles] are,” writes Fanfare’s Barnaby Rayfield, “this is writing of real skill and cohesion.” You can find nearby a fine performance of these pieces featuring cellist Sooyung Kim and pianist Kyoo Hye Lim.
This sonata is a lyrical, evanescent, three-movement sonata with immediate appeal to audiences and players alike. I originally wrote it for my stepdaughter, Lynn Burton, to play on her senior recital at Southeastern Louisiana University, but I further developed the piece during rehearsals for a later performance by flutist Patti Adams and pianist Yui Asano. “Horne’s Flute Sonata…should be in every flautist’s recital repertoire, such is its free-flowing lyricism and easy exuberance.” Colin Clarke, Fanfare. You can hear a fine performance of my flute sonata by flutist Erika Boysen and pianist Moon Kyoung Kim nearby.