Pulse Pounding

Description

Violin 1, Violin 2, Violin 3, Viola, Cello, Contrabass, Piano — From the start, the music embodies the title in an exciting way. The interjection of melodic elements in the celli and basses provides some connecting tissue to the opening. The melody appears in its full form at m. 13. Full of syncopation andxa0 articulations, the melody has a driving force that is reminiscent of action sequences in the movies. The harmony develops and widens a bit at m. 23, but keep the same intensity. A contrasting section at m. 31 introduces a haunting tapestry of sounds. Keep the overlapping eighth-note patterns smooth, so it is one homogenous sound. Bring out the accents in the celli and basses to provide a little rhythmic punch in this section. The two sections merge at m. 45. This continues to drive all the way to the tutti rest at m. 63. The final push ensues at m. 64 along with an echo statement of both the opening gesture and the haunting tapestry of eighth notes to bring the piece to a rousing finish. As the title describes, this piece gets the pulse pounding! It contains driving rhythms, simple syncopated melodies, and angular harmonies. It has all of the ingredients that have made Sean O'Loughlin's pieces so popular in the Carl Fischer String Orchestra catalog. It will certainly raise the heart rate of your students and audiences alike!

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