Indian Raga Take Seven - Matthew Grasso

Indian Raga Take Seven (1992) Composed by Matthew Grasso (b.1972) for extended 7-string guitar and cello Please consider making a donation to my channel: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_... Venmo@Matthew-Grasso-6 For sheet music scores visit. http://matthewgrasso.com/sheetmusic_c... Performers: Miyan Grasso - extended 7-string guitar Julian Sommer - cello This video was an on the spot creation that I directed and organized to celebrate 30 years of successful composing. Indian Raga Take One was the first composition that I felt represented a more mature style and did not find its home in the fireplace. My son Miyan Grasso had performed this work before and Julian Sommer had studied traditional ragas with me many years ago. Both Miyan and Julian met for the first time when we gathered together to do this video shoot. Previously, I spent two short sessions with Julian going over the details of my composition, however we did not even play the piece from beginning to end. When we arrived at the video shoot, I suggested we add an improvisational intro to the work and remove the solo cello section towards the end. The end result was a fresh and spontaneous conception of the work. The "Take Seven" signifies the seventh version of this piece. The original title of this work is Indian Raga Take One, which was meant to be a little humorous. Due to the serious mood of this work, I considered changing the title many times throughout the years with no luck. Indian Raga Take One was composed in the fall of 1992 when I was a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. This piece was inspired by Sindhi Bhairavi, a North Indian raga of the late morning. I did quote a phrase that was used judiciously in this raga (S, r, g, G, g, r, s) as a main reoccurring melodic motif. My composition is not a raga but reflected my fascination or interest with Indian music at the time. Three years later I would find myself at the feet of Ali Akbar Khan studying traditional ragas. Although I originally scored this work for guitar and cello, I have created several other versions with different instrumentation. I feel that this music should be more adaptable to the musical expression of the artists. They may add improvisational sections or even remove certain composed sections if necessary. With every new presentation, the performers should retitle the work, “Take Two”, “Take Three”, etc. Indian Raga Take One was premiered in March of 1993 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with cellist Ben Noyes. Matthew Grasso January 2023 I would like to thank the many performers of this work: Charles Spruill, Tim Stanley, Ben Noyes, Caroline McCaskey, Miyan Grasso, Julian Sommer, Sari De Leon, and Jeffrey Johnson. #classical #guitar #cello #improvisation #chambermusic #duets #composition #composer