Brill, Elissa of Holyoke, Massachusetts

Etude: floating and then not (piano solo) 3'30" $ 6.00 #040066 AP-104 The composer writes: "Etude grew out of a conversation I had with a colleague. We were contemplating what it is about some pieces of music that makes them feel like they are floating on air, and what it is about some other pieces that makes them seem to be so close to the earth. Although there are many other elements at work, one important element seemed to be the nature of the rhythmic resolution. It is the treatment of rhythm that I chose to explore in this piece. The form is ABA, where each A section is mostly floating and the B section is mostly not."

score sample (pdf)

Story Closet-divertimento for piano (intermediate) 6' $ 7.50 #040065 AP-103 The piece was written in 1986 in five movements: Opening Music, Tennis Racket/Unstrung, Wool Blazer/Circa 1978, Useless Gift, Costume Jewelry. The composer describes her piece as "short sketches of found memories, a light-hearted travelogue through fond childhood thoughts."

score sample (pdf)

Klezmer Music for Clarinet, Viola and Piano 9' $ 8.00 #040116 AP-726 Set of parts $ 4.00 #040135 AP-742 "Klezmer Music for clarinet, viola and piano expresses the joy and spontaneity of the Yiddish folk music that inspired it." (Elissa Brill)

score sample (pdf)

The composer writes: "In Hebrew, k'lai zemer means musical instruments. In the European Jewish tradition, the Yiddish term "Klezmer" came to denote both a certain type of traveling musician, and the band in which he played. The word is also used to describe the characteristic music these bands performed. Klezmer bands were standard entertainment at weddings and other social events in both Jewish and non-Jewish circles. Klezmer Music is not a Klezmer piece per se, although much of its structure stems from this Yiddish folk form."

Minnie for medium voice and piano 3'30" $ 6.00 #040035 AP-314 Minnie is a light-hearted setting of Eleanor Farjeon's humorous poem about Minnie who just could not make up her mind. The song is a whimsical caricature that spotlights both the vocal and theatrical talents of the performer. It is an audience pleaser that easily fills the spot for humor on a concert program.

score sample (pdf)

Elissa Brill writes for musical theater, combines acoustic instruments with electronic sound, and has written a two-act opera called Midas (1991). A native of New Jersey, she now teaches at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts. She holds a BA in music from the University of Pennsylvania and both a Master's and Doctorate in music composition from Temple University. Recently she has been commissioned to write music for the Smith College Choirs, the Eastwind Saxophone Quartet, and the Holyoke Civic Symphony. In 1996 she received a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to write Notes from the New World for chorus and orchestra. Arsis Press has published her solo piano pieces Story Closet and Etude, her vocal piece, Minnie, and her Klezmer Music for clarinet, viola, and piano.

Email us