Drone Triptych (2016)

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) — Drone Triptych (2016) for organ

1. Ricercare
2. Trio
3. Passacaglia

“Drone Triptych” (2016) is cast in three panels, each featuring a drone in a different register. The opening “Ricercare” has the drone at the top, with four contrapuntal voices interacting underneath. In “Trio,” the drone is in the middle, with two voices lightly surrounding it on either side. Hemiola features heavily in this (and the final) section. The final “Passacaglia” begins with the drone in the pedal; after a brief ground bass section, a coda of bell chords concludes the triptych.

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) is an Italian composer. Educated at the Conservatory in Milan, she has composed in many genres, developing a personal language that is concerned with the blend of past and present. Her compositions have been performed frequently around the world. Ferrari’s music appears on several CD recordings, including four all-Ferrari organ CDs: three recorded by Carson Cooman (2014/16) and another by Peter Clark (2015). She served as chair of music composition at Hebei Normal University in Shijiazhuang, China and is currently professor of music composition at the European School of Economics in Florence, Italy.