Augury

flute and guitar (1987)

Elizabeth Brown, flute; Scott Jackson Wiley, guitar

duration: 13:30


program note

Augury (1987) for flute and guitar

  1. Xylomancy (fortune-telling with pieces of wood)
  2. Zygomancy (fortune-telling with weights
  3. Lampadomancy (fortune-telling with the flame of a torch)
  4. Sideromancy (fortune-telling from looking at the stars)
  5. Hieromancy (fortune-telling from observing and interpreting various sacrifices)

Augury, written in 1987 in New York City, won the National Flute Association Newly Published Music Competition in 1988, and has subsequently been performed nationwide.

The five movements, played without pause, describe five different types of fortune-telling. The flute is cast in the role of the novice, with the guitar acting as sorcerer, mystic, or teacher. Many unusual coloristic techniques are employed, including microtones and percussive effects.


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