Break Away!
(for SATB Choir and Piano)
by
Dan Locklair
Break Away! was the result of a 1983 commission from Ithaca College and the Theodore Presser Co. for Ithaca College’s annual Choral Festival. This, Ithaca’s fifth commission, was unique from previous ones by Vincent Persichetti, Samuel Adler, Karel Husa and William Schuman in that it involved the commission of a new text as well. American lyricist, Alicia Carpenter, created her crisp and vibrant words early in 1983 and the music was composed during the early summer of that year. In five sections, the musical materials in Break Away! contrast Pentatonic and Pandiatonic elements. Break Away! received its World Premiere on 12 November 1983 in Ithaca, New York by the Ithaca College Choir (Lawrence Doebler, Conductor). Break Away! bears a dedication to Joel R. Stegall.
Dan Locklair
Winston-Salem, North Carolina