1998
Blue Dawn
for Native American flute (or flute), cello
duration: 4'40"
Blue Dawn is a mellow, cheerful piece celebrating the fresh air and big sky of the High Plains region of the United States. Originally written for Native American flute, and thus based on the natural pentatonic scale of that instrument, the visual image for the listener can be of awaking before dawn and watching the sun rise from one’s dwelling in the wilderness, gradually illuminating the landscape and bringing out its natural colors and beauty. The challenging cello part can be heard as an ever-flowing stream, pausing only for the flute’s cadenza at the close of the piece. This widely performed piece has also been performed with recorder. Blue Dawn is featured in a music video on my YouTube channel and has been recorded on Albany Records, TROY1465.
Media
Blue Dawn, performed by James Pellerite, Native American flute, and Richard Slavich, cello, from a live performance at the University of Denver.
Blue Dawn, performed by James Pellerite on Albany Records’ “Embrace the Wind”
