Victoria Bond
Catalog of Works

ORCHESTRAL

A MODEST PROPOSAL (1999) 20'
Theodore Presser
tenor and chamber orchestra; text by Jonathan Swift Solo tenor voice;1111; 2100 ;timp, cel, perc ; strings
Premiere: February 2000 Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, V.Bond, cond. Paul Sperry, tenor
Recording: Cleveland Chamber Orchestra; Albany Records
Review: "Using Jonathan Swift's satiric essay as text, Bond weaves fragments of familiar nursery songs together to produce a potent blend of humor and horror. A shocker...provocative and outrageous."
--Wilma Salisbury, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

ANCIENT KEYS (2002) 17 '
piano and chamber orchestra piano 2(1),2(EH),2 (Bs Cl),2; 2210; timp, perc(2), strings
Comm. by Paul Barnes and The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
Premiere: November 4, 2002 Clowes Hall, Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis Chamber Orch. Kirk Trevor cond. Paul Barnes, piano
Recording: The Slovak Radio Orchestra
Commentary: The idea for the piano concerto Ancient Keys began as a fragile melody, sung by the pianist Paul Barnes, on a foggy hillside in the Czech city of Zlin. Paul and I were on our way to a recording session for my first piano concerto and he was relating to me his ecstatic experiences singing in the choir of a Greek Orthodox Church. I asked him to hum me the melody of one of the chants, and he sang, in a beautiful and clear voice, a melody, which in Greek is called Potirion Sotiriu meaning "Cup of Salvation" in English. The melody was haunting in its purity and profundity and I resolved, then and there, to incorporate it into a piano piece for Paul. Thus began a long and fascinating journey of discovery, exploring how this melody related, not only to the mystical chants of the Christian Church, but also to my own Jewish background. There was a universality to the meditative effect of these notes, which evoke a peace and contemplation of the wonder of creation. The first version of the melody was a solo piano work called Potirion Sotiriu. Paul liked the piece so much that he performed it extensively around the world and often included an actual choir singing the original melody both before and after the piano version. When I had the opportunity to expand the solo piano piece into a piano concerto, I decided to incorporate the sound of those deep, resonant voices into the orchestra. I pictured an enormous space, filling up with rich bass tones rising and swirling around, gradually disappearing like delicate smoke into a high dome. This would be a cleansing bath of sound which could purify and refresh all who heard it. The piano would act as spiritual guide, leading the listener through the healing sounds . The result is Ancient Keys. I began work on Ancient Keys in June, 2002 in a very sacred place - the house where Johannes Brahms spent many summers composing and hiking in the Black Forest. I had been awarded a "stipendium" or grant from the Brahmshausgesellschaft in Baden-Baden, Germany to spend the month of June in this house, now converted into a museum and an artist's residence. I had received this grant once before, and six years ago discovered this inspiring environment. It seemed the ideal place to compose, particularly a piano concerto. This instinct proved true, and I awoke each morning at dawn, spending the morning hours immersed in writing and the afternoon in hiking those very same paths that the Master had walked so many years before. There seemed to be a continuity and an encouragement, and though Brahms contribution to the literature is above mere mortal understanding, his presence and his mighty legacy was a beacon leading me on.
Review: "Inspired by a Greek Orthodox chant...its free use of open intervals evoked spaciousness."
--Classical Music Review, Indianapolis

BLACK LIGHT (1988), Rev (1997) 20'
Subito Music
piano and orchestra, Solo piano 2,picc,2 (EH), 2 (BsCl), 2; 4331; timp, perc (2), strings
Premiere: November 1997 The Czech Republic, The Martinu Philharmonic, Kirk Trevor cond. Paul Barnes, piano
Recording: The Martinu Philharmonic; Koch Records
Commentary: Big band jazz, the plaintive lament of a Jewish religious chant and a scat-inspired finale characterize this distinctively American work.
Review: "Dazzling...riffs gloriously on both jazz and Jewish liturgical music"
--American Record Guide

C-A-G-E-D FOR STRING ORCHESTRA (1974) 10'25"
Seesaw Music
string orchestra - 3 movements;

Premiere: Cabrillo Music Festival, V. Bond, Cond. Aptos, CA Aug. 17, 1974.
The Richmond Symphony, 1989 Marin Alsop, conductor
Commentary: The letters represent the open strings on all the string instruments and are the motive on which the work is structured. In addition to this technical description, it portrays the frustration of any living creature confined against its will, pacing, staring out helplessly, raging.
Review: "Jagged, syncopated rhythms and carefully planned intensities."
--The San Francisco Chronicle

CONCERTINO (1980) 10'
1*212 2000, timp, perc, strs (12 6 4 2) - Variations on American folksong: 'The Water is Wide'.
SUBITO MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC.

ELEGY (1971) 1'55"
1111 2220, timp, perc, str (66442), from film score, Man and the City, Universal Studios, Los Angeles, CA
COMPOSER

FOUR FRAGMENTS FOR ORCHESTRA (1972) 6'
pn, timp, chimes, tam, marimba, strs (66442);
From film score, Five Desperate Women, Paramount Studios, LA, CA
COMPOSER

THE FROG PRINCE (1984) 24'
Narrator and Orchrestra
G. Schirmer
chamber orchestra version
Narrator 1111; 3110, perc (1), strings
Premiere: April 1984 The Egg, Albany, NY
The Empire State Youth Orchestra, Bob McGrath, narrator
Recording: Family Classic Audio Books, NY State Theatre Inst.
Commentary: Based on the familiar fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, this musical update portrays the frog as suave and jazzy and the Princess as a self-indulgent young girl who has to be taught the value of a promise. Commissioned by the Empire State Institute for the Performing Arts in Albany, it was written for Bob McGrath of Sesame Street.
Review:"A sophisticated score, effective in building tension and sharp-eared listeners will detect the interplay between themes."
--Knickerbocker News

THE FROG PRINCE (1984) 15'
Narrator, 1111 3110, perc, strs
G. Schirmer
narrator and orchestra, text V. Bond, Bob McGrath and Anne Sperry McGrath
Premiere: April 1984 The Egg, Albany, NY

Recording: Family Classic Audio Books, NY State Theatre Inst.
Commentary: The Williamsburg Symphonia, Victoria Bond, conductor Commissioned by The Williamsburg Symphonia, this reduced orchestration and abbreviated version of the original Frog Prince is suitable for performances with Peter and the Wolf.

GREAT GALLOPING GOTTSCHALK (1981) 20'
Presser
2,picc, 2(EH), 2,2; 4331; timp, perc (2), hp, pn, strings
Premiere: January 1982 Miami Beach, Florida
The American Ballet Theater, Paul Connelly, cond
Commentary: Commissioned by The American Ballet Theater and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, this arrangement creates a piano concerto out of several solo works of Louis Moreau Gottschalk and can be presented as a purely instrumental work.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARTH NEWELL (1993) 5'
str orch.
Comm/prem,Garth Newell Festival Orchestra, V. Bond, Cond., . Garth Newell Music Festival, Bath, VA Aug 15, 1993
COMPOSER

JOURNAL (1981) 7'15"
Subito Music
1212 2200; timp, perc, strings
Premiere: May 1982 Saint Paul, Minnesota
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, William McGlaughlin, cond.
Award Winner, St Paul Chamber Orchestra Competition
Commentary: My journals record an internal dialogue and have become a source of strength and self-awareness. As a composer, many of my thoughts are in music, not words, and so it seemed appropriate to record this stream of consciousness. 1981 was a turbulent year for me. My schooling was behind me and I had just concluded a two-year apprenticeship as Assistant conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Review: "A unique combination of sounds and themes.... exciting, intriguing, and positive. It's a work worth repeat hearing"
--Virginia Gazette

TWO ORCHESTRAL INTERLUDES (1970) 4'
1121 2111, perc (2), hp, pn, 4 va, 4 vc, 2 cb from film score, Jaques Cousteau, Journey to Truk Lagoon, Metromedia studios, L.A., CA
COMPOSER

RINGING (1986) 3'24"
Subito Music
3(3=picc),3 (3= EH), 3,3(3= C Bsn);4331; timp, perc (3); str
Premiere: July 4, 1986 Houston, Texas
Houston Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Bond, conductor
Commentary:Commissioned by The Houston Symphony as part of their sesquicentennial celebration, and based on the folksong 'Deep in the Heart of Texas', Ringing fragments the familiar melody in an Ives-like mosaic.
Reviews: "A jubilant fanfare built on mutated fragments of a Texas folksong and inspired by the clanging of bells"
--The Cape Codder
"A challenging, heroic work showcasing the brass and string sections"
--Amarillo Sunday News

SONATA FOR ORCHESTRA (1972) 5'15"
2*222 2221, timp, perc, hp, strs;
Prem: Juilliard Orchestra, V. Bond Cond. New York City, April 5, 1972
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

SUITE FROM EQUINOX (1977) 20'
Seesaw Music
2(1),2 (EH), 2 (Bs Cl), 2; 2210; timp, perc, hp, piano, strings
Premiere: July, 1982 Dublin, Ireland
Radio Telefis Eirean, Dublin Ireland, Victoria Bond, conductor
Commentary: Extracted from the ballet Equinox based on the Hermann Hesse novel Narcissus and Goldmund, this suite distills the dramatic action of the story into a tight and cohesive unity.
Reviews: "The total effect is spine-chilling"
--Today's Post
"The work is built around the contrast between the spiritual and the sensual...a strong, probing work...provokes and disturbs."
--Currier

THINKING LIKE A MOUNTAIN (1994) 15'
Subito
narrator and orchestra, text by Aldo Leopold
narr, 2(2=alt fl, picc), 2(EH), 2,2;4331, timp, perc (3), hp, str
Premiere: October 1994 Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, V. Bond, cond, Rupert Cutler, narr.
Recording: Dec 4, 1994, Shanghai Symphony, V. Bond Cond.
Commentary:Co-commissioned: Shanghai Symphony (China), Billings Symphony (MT), Elgin Symphony (IL) and Explore Park (VA). Using Aldo Leopold's powerful essay as the text, this work dramatizes an incident in his life where the shooting of wolves initiates an epiphany and leads to a new awareness of the role wolves and other predators play in the life of a mountain. An ideal work for Earth Day or any concert with an environmental theme.
Review: "The music itself was as enchanting and magical and moody as the animal for which it was written."
--The Billings Gazette

THREE CHINESE FOLK SONGS (1998) 15'
Presser
soprano, tenor and orchestra,
Chinese texts, English translation by Zhang Chengmo
sop, ten; 2222; 2200; timp, perc(2), strings
Premiere: December 1998 Wuhan, China
Wuhan Symphony Orchestra, China, Victoria Bond, conductor
Televised: Wuhan TV, January 1999
Commentary: I. Digging Potatoes, II. The Jasmine Flower, III. The Wind Blows These three songs, popular in China, sound exotic yet close enough to our own folk music to evoke a familiar warmth and beauty.

URBAN BIRD (1993) 20'
Theodore Presser
concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra
alto sax, 2(1), 2 (EH), 2 (BsCl), 2; 4431; timp, perc (2); str
Premiere: April, 1993 San Francisco, California
The Women's Philharmonic,Bond, cond, Cynthia Sikes, soloist.
Commentary: Commissioned by The Women's Philharmonic, this concerto is based on Au Privave by Charlie Parker and Blue Trane by John Coltrane.. Structured as a dramatic tone poem, Urban Bird portrays a street musician playing on a subway platform whose music is continually drown out by the passing trains. "It is very late at night. Imagine a deserted subway platform in New York City. Imagine a street musician playing solos in the dark. Imagine he has heard plenty of Charlie Parker and more than a little John Coltrane. Imagine he is playing his heart out for no one but himself. Imagine trains roaring through the station frequently drowning him out. Imagine that he not only continues playing but that he integrates the sounds of the trains into his solos. His music transforms the dingy cavern into a magic place. Commuters rush into the train which tears away into the dark tunnel. When quiet returns, the musicians's notes forlornly drift down around him."
--Ann Arbor Symph.
Review: "As close as an instrumental piece can get to an actual opera... Incredibly effective"
--San Francisco Bay Times

VARIATIONS ON A THEME OF BRAHMS (1998) 15'
Subito
2,picc, 2 (EH), 2, 2, Contra Bn; 4331; timp, perc (2); strings
Premiere: February 6, 1998 Borden Auditorium, New York City
Manhattan Philharmonia, Glen Cortese, conductor
Commentary: Composed during a summer residency at Brahmshaus in Baden-Baden, Germany on a grant from the Brahmshausgesellschaft, these rigorously-structured variations are based on the Andante movement of Brahms' first string sextet in B-flat major, Op. 18. Using a Brahms-sized orchestra and beginning with the original theme, the variations combine rigorous counterpoint with a brilliant pallette of orchestral colors. The intricate formal design, which includes two fugues and a passacaglia, also incorporates bell sounds from the neighboring church of St. Boniface, and an evocative variation called "celestial navigation" Traditional in structure, yet contemporary in sound, this work can be appreciated by a wide audience.
Review: "An intense, contemporary work ... musical puzzles; a collage of deconstructed and rearranged melodies and motives."
--The Wichita Eagle

WHAT'S THE POINT OF COUNTERPOINT? (1985) 24'10"
Subito
a musical fable for narrator and orchestra, text by V. Bond
narr. 2,picc, 2(EH), 2(Bs Cl), 2; 4331; perc(3),timp, hp, str.
Premiere: April 20, 1985 The Egg, Albany
Empire State Youth Orch, Bond cond, Bob McGrath, narr.
Commentary:Commissioned by The Empire State Institute for the Performing Arts, this original story tells of a tune and his travels through three musical cities in search of a friend. Guided by a little bird, he visits the cities of Rhythm, Harmony and Counterpoint and is introduced to the characters who live there. Each element of music is illustrated by a different personality.
Review: "Counterpoint is so complicated a subject, that to appreciate all of the mathematical permutations requires the acumen of a well-trained composer. It's nice to have some kind of introduction to it, and the Bond piece could serve the needs of listeners of all ages. Its construction is as a children's tale: the protagonist, a tune, is looking for a friend. Tune is befriended by a bird, which takes him on a tour of the cities of Rhythm and Harmony before discovering the tent where the city of Counterpoint is headquartered, and being treated to a display, rendered with a likening to acrobatics, of part of the "Art of the Fugue". It's an impressive journey in terms of musical sophistication. Bond is to be congratulated and then some for providing youthful audiences with a text which never attempts to talk down to them."
--Schenectady Gazette

OPERA

MRS. SATAN (2002) 98'
Theodore Presser
opera in two acts
Composer: Victoria Bond; Librettist: Hilary Bell
3 sop,1 mezzo, 2 ten,1 bass-bar; ens. SATB (8) or chorus
2(1), 2 (EH), 2 (Bs Cl),2; 2,2,1; perc (1); cel, hp, strings
2000 first workshop: The Center for Contemporary Opera, NYC
2001 4 scenes: New York City Opera, Showcasing Am. Composers
2001 workshop: Penn State University
2002 full concert performance: John Drew Theater, East Hampton
Commentary: Comfortable 19th-century New York society is rocked by the entrance of Victoria Woodhull - clairvoyant, feminist, publisher, stockbroker, Free Love advocate, and presidential candidate. In her struggle for women's rights, she exposes a sex scandal centering on a powerful religious leader. Universal outrage turns Society's Darling into Mrs. Satan.
Review: "It is music that overflows with lyricism and passion and is set to an intensely poetic and dramatic libretto. Its unabashed songfulness can capture the ear of even the most hesitant, and the drama inherent in the attraction and repulsion of Woodhull and Beecher is as gripping as any dramatic event I've seen. There is no mistaking Ms Bond for anything other than a 21st century American composer, but Puccini would have been thrilled to write some of these arias."
--The Southampton Press 2002

TRAVELS (1994) 120'
Subito Music
opera inspired by Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels
Composer: Victoria Bond; Librettist: Ann Goette
sop, mezzo, 2 ten, bass-bar; chorus SATBB, dancers
1111 2100, timp, perc, piano, strings
Premiere: May 18, 1995 Roanoke Virginia
Opera Roanoke, Jonathan Arak, director; Victoria Bond, conductor.
Commentary:Travels tells the story of Gull, an adolescent on the verge of manhood. Suffocated by the confines of home, he begins a quest for identity, love, mystery. He is haunted and spurred forward by an elusive muse. Gull embarks on his travels by way of a train that spills him into a variety of cultures, where he encounters characters who mirror those he left behind: his mother, father, sweetheart and brother. Far from a literal interpretation , Travels retains Swift's satirical edge, taking a dark look at many aspects of contemporary culture from televangelists to Prozac.
Review: "Musically impressive and theatrically dynamic" Harold Prince "Sparkling, tuneful score..the hilarious aerobics-class-from hell was a highlight." Opera News "The final aria is melodic and ethereally beautiful....a non-stop stream of movingly beautiful music."
--American Record Guide

A MORE PERFECT UNION (2002) 75'
(work-in-progress)
opera-ballet; librettist: Isaiah Sheffer; composer: V. Bond
Choreographers: Catherine Turocy, Ruth Kirstein
Soprano, counter-tenor, baritone, bass; flute, viola da gamba, harpsichord, perc (1), 1 actor, 8 dancers
Commentary: An innovative 21st Century satirical political theater piece which seeks to say something about the nation in which we live, through the artistic device of telling the story of its Constitution's creation through music, dance and verse informed by Baroque performance principles, intertwined and layered with choreographic, poetic, musical and design vocabulary that is distinctly modern.

EVERYONE IS GOOD FOR SOMETHING (1986) 40'
A musical for young audiences
Samuel French, Inc. Represented by: Tonda Marton Agency
librettist: Beatrice Schenk de Regniers; composer: V.Bond
3 solos: mezzo, ten, bar; 3 ens: sop, alto, bass;1 nar;1 dancer
Premiere: Mar 3, 1986 Stage One, Louisville, Kentucky
Curt L. Tofteland, director; Bill Corcoran, musical director
Commentary: The story of a boy trying to find his sense of self-worth in a difficult world. His mother continually scolds him and a mocking chorus taunts him as a failure and good for nothing. He is constantly making a mess of every job he is asked to do. One day a stranger gives him a sack to throw in the river. He opens the sack to discover a magical cat who speaks to him. She takes him on a journey to the land of good-for-nothings where he learns how to help others and by doing so, help himself. He returns to his mother a hero.
Review: "A tuneful pastiche of ragtime, blues and gospel traditions with a dash of modern dissonance" T
--The Courier-Journal

GULLIVER (1987) 90'
work-in-progress
Music and lyrics: Victoria Bond; book: Moses Goldberg
sop, mezzo, ten bar, bass; ensemble: sop, bar; piano
workshop production commissioned by Stage One 1988
The Louisville Children's Theater, Louisville, KY
Commentary: Opera for family audiences adapted from Swift's Gulliver's Travels

BALLET

EQUINOX (1977) 45'
Seesaw
music: Victoria Bond; choreography: Lynne Taylor-Corbett
2(1),2 (EH), 2 (Bs Cl), 2; 2210; timp, perc, hp, piano, strings
chorus on tape for prologue only; tape avail from publisher
Premiere: Oct 13, 1977 Schubert Theater, Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, Maurice Kaplow, conductor
Commentary: Commissioned by the Pennsylvania Ballet, this ballet draws from Hermann Hesse's novel Narcissus and Goldmund. It is a study of the dual nature of man. Set in the middle ages, the music evokes the modalities of Gregorian chant with asymmetrical, pungent style.
Reviews: "The showpiece of last night's program was the New York premiere of Equinox...the music has bite and direction."
--Newsday
"In one scene, the timpani marks the inexorable advance of three masked death figures..Violins follow the plague-ridden crowd who run but cannot escape The total effect is spine-chilling."Today's Post "A strong, probing work that provokes and disturbs as much as it entertains...a worthy addition to the repertory."
--Courier-Post

GREAT GALLOPING GOTTSCHALK (1981) 20'
Presser
2 (1),2 (EH), 2,2; 4331; timp, perc (2), hp, pn, strings
Premiere: Jan 12, 1982 Miami, Florida
American Ballet Theater, Paul Connelly, cond.
Commissioned by The American Ballet Theater and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett. Seven solo piano pieces by Louis Moreau Gottschalk orchestrated and arranged for piano and orchestra.

RAGE (1993) 10'
Subito Music
piano
Premiere: October 16, 1993 Erie, Pennsylvania
Lake Erie Ballet, Jeff Satinoff, Choreographer
Recording: GEGA
Commentary: Commissioned by the Lake Erie Ballet, Rage is about the turbulent emotions of an abusive relationship. A pas de deux, it is an impassioned cry against violence. It portrays a couple imprisoned in a vicious cycle of domination and abuse, first looking at the scene through the perpetrator and then from the viewpoint of the abused, the music alternates between these two extremes.
Review: "Intense, thought-provoking, tragic and violent"
--Erie Dance Review

SANDBURG SUITE (1980) 7'
Seesaw Music
piano
Premiere: Aug. 16, 1980 White Barn Theater, Connecticut
Margaret Beals Dance Company
Recording: Character Sketches, Nanette Kaplan Solomon; Leonarda Commissioned by Margaret Beals, this ballet is designed to be danced while the dancer recites the poem, "Working Girls" by Carl Sandburg. The melodic material is based on American folk music and the mood of the five variations range from folk to blues, from ragtime to gospel.
Review: "Immediately appealing"
--Discovery

TRIO: OTHER SELVES (1979) 22'
Theodore Presser
violin, cello, piano
Premiere: August 21, 1979 Lennox, Massachusetts
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival; Recording:. GEGA
Commentary: Commissioned by The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, this ballet is based on a series of sculptures by Marjorie Michael entitled, A Woman's Journey. These portray vignettes of ordinary scenes from a woman's life in an abstract and mythic way. The music is organized as a theme and 7 variations, based on a Bach-like architectural design. Each instrument is given a solo movement and a duet, and these are interspersed with the full trio ensemble, each solo featuring a different aspect of the individual in relationship to the group.
Review: "A bravura piece, romantic in impulse but contemporary in its tonal language.. With challenging unaccompanied solos for each instrument."
--The Atlanta Journal

CHAMBER MUSIC

BATUCADA (1985) 3'25"
Subito Music
theme and variation on the Brazilian samba
piano
Premiere: March 30, 1985 Lawrence, Kansas
Patricia Gray, pianist; Recording: GEGA
Commentary: Restricting the theme to its rhythmic element and subordinating all other elements, the piano is cast in the role of both percussion ensemble and dancers.
Review: "Scarlet was the dominant color effect in Bond's Batucada, with its sassy dance rhythms and dynamic contrasts."
--Register-Guard

BATUCADA 2 (2002) 5'
Subito Music
Theme and variation on the Brazilian samba
flute and piano
Commentary: An arrangement and amplification of the solo piano piece

C-A-G-E-D (1972) 10'25"
Seesaw Music
string quintet in 3 movements
Premiere: Sept. 26, 1972 Los Angeles Natural History Museum
Nathan Ross, Linda Rose,vn; Joe Reilich, vla; Gloria Strasner,vc.
Commentary: The letters represent the open strings on all the string instruments and are the motive on which the work is structured. In addition to this technical description, it portrays the frustration of any living creature confined against its will, pacing, staring out helplessly, raging.
Review: "Jagged, syncopated rhythms and carefully planned intensities."
--The San Francisco Chronicle

CAN(N)ONS FOR CLARINET & VIOLIN ( 1970)
Seesaw
Premiere October 25, 1970 LA Museum of Natural History
John Neufeld, cl, Nate Ross, vn
Commentary: A study in counterpoint, dedicated to my teacher, Ingolf Dahl.

CHI (1999) 7'
Duet for bamboo flute and zheng
Premiere: April 29, 1999 Renee Weiler Hall, New York City
Miao Yimin, bamboo flute; Jean Sze, zheng
Commentary: The word Chi or Qi means breath in Chinese but it also implies the unseen energy within the body, the vitality, or life-force. This work is based on a Chinese scale and pairs two traditional instruments whose histories go back over two thousand years. Both of these have techniques unique to their physical properties and unusual timbres which I have attempted to incorporate into this composition. The zheng is able to bend notes to produce an evocative portamento effect, and the bamboo flute or di has a hollow and mysterious tone. In this work, I use two different sizes, the chu di and its smaller relative, the band di. The musical material explores a world without harmony, focusing on melody, rhythm and color. I was particularly interested in the rhythmic independence of each instrument, and much of the composition is written without a specific meter. Although none of it is improvised, I wanted to create the effect of a spontaneous exchange.

CONVERSATION PIECE (1975) 11'30"
Seesaw Music
viola, vibraphone
Premiere: Aug 15, 1975 Museum Modern Art, New York City
Karen Phillips viola, Martin Kluger, vibraphone
Commentary: A theme with 7 variations, exploring contrapuntal exchanges, changing surfaces over a deep stillness, hypnotic, repetitive figures.
Review: "The proudest achievement of the evening was Conversation Piece. Don't be misled by its decorous title. The piece is a highly-charged dialogue for an unlikely duo, and Bond takes ample advantage of the opportunities afforded for tonal contrast."
--Musical America

DREAMS OF FLYING (1994) 15'
Subito Music
string quartet
Premiere: July 24,1994 Maverick Festival, Woodstock, NY
The Audubon String Quartet; Recording: GEGA
Commentary:This work was commissioned by a quartet called Audubon, the name evoked the images of birds The piece evolved into an exploration of the sensation of flying: Resisting Gravity; Floating; The Caged Bird Dreams of the Jungle; and Flight.
Review: "The piece has an unrestrained, gradual build-up that makes a progression with each movement, each of which has some relation to the theme. The third movement contrasts a pensive, withdrawn state with one of exuberant jungle-like vitality."
--The Chautauqua Daily "This lively music exploits Brazilian dance rhythms and bird calls in a way that liberates the soul while reminding us of our limitations." The Music Connoisseur

DREAMS OF FLYING (1994) 15'
str quartet.;
Comm/prem: Audubon Quartet, Blacksburg, VA, May 8, 1994
Recording: Georgi Valchev, vln; Nikolai Gagov, vln; Valentin Gerov, vla;Christo Tanev, vc. GEGA Records, Sept. 2, 1995, Sofia, Bulgaria
SUBITO MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC.

DUET FOR FLUTE AND VIOLA (1969) 10'
Seesaw flute and viola
Premiere: October 25, 1970 Los Angeles Natural History Museum
Sheridan Stokes, flute; Joe di Fiore, viola

HOT AIR (1991) 16'30"
Theodore Presser
woodwind quintet
Premiere: March 6, 1992 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Renaissance City Winds
Commentary: Commissioned by the Renaissance City Winds, this quintet elaborates dramatic scenes from the opera that I was working on at that time, Travels. The first movement, Hot Air, shows Gulliver in an agitated state, eager for the journey, impatient to begin; the second movement, Who Is Gulliver, finds him at a turning point, where he has lost his direction and his sense of identity; the third movement, In My Land, gives him a glimpse of a more perfect world of peace and harmony; the last movement, Yahoos, gives an unflattering portrait of humans as seen by a more advanced lifeform.

JING ZHONG BAO GUO (1999) 17'
suite for Pipa and Erhu
Premiere: October 22, 2000 Chicago Illinois
The Yueh Fei Millennium Concert, Chicago Cultural Center
Chinese Fine Arts Society, Wei Yang, pipa; Betty Xiang, Erhu
Consisting of 7 movements, each celebrating one quality of the legendary hero, Yue Fei: Devotion to God; Learning From the Masters; Homage To Ancestors; Courage in Battle; Acceptance of Death; Wise Authority; Transcendence.

MENAGE A TROIS (1971) 3'
al fl, al sax & bcl - 1 movement; Buddy Collette, al sax. Private reading, Sept. 30, 1971.
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

MOLI HUA (1999) 10'
Solo viola
Premiere: May 4, 1999 New York; Martha Mooke
Using a traditional Chinese folksong, Moli Hua or the Jasmine Flower as a point of reference, the piece contrasts the pure, simple flowing melody with a desire to break free of the orderly and explore the complex, asymmetrical, chaotic elements.

OLD NEW BORROWED BLUES (1986) 10'59"
Subito
harpsichord, contrabass, percussion (including vibraphone) Premiere: Oct. 25,
1986 Saratoga Springs, NY
1991 Festival of Baroque Music, Nova/Antigua Ensemble
Commentary: Commissioned by the Festival of Baroque Music, this work is a set of variations on John Dowland's lute song Flow My Tears. The mournful wail of the theme becomes a blues, contrasting the world of the harpsichord on the one hand and that of the vibraphone on the other, the double bass being common to both. The title suggests a "wedding" of these two worlds.

OLD NEW BORROWED BLUES (1986) 10'59"
harpsichord, cb, perc (incl. vibs); Variations on 'Flow My Tears.'
Prem: Nova/Antigua, Saratoga Springs, NY Oct. 25, 1986.
SUBITO MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC

PASTORALE (1966) 3'
woodwind quartet - 1 movement;
Prem: Allison Catwell, ob; Larry Sowell, cln; Christine Lundquist, cln;
Barbara Cataldo bsn. USC, January 12, 1966.
COMPOSER

POTIRION SOTIRIU (1999) 15'
piano
Premiere: February 9, 2000 Nebraska; Paul Barnes
Commentary: The idea began as a fragile melody, sung by the pianist Paul Barnes, on a foggy hillside in the Czech city of Zlin. Paul and I were on our way to a recording session for my first piano concerto and he was relating to me his ecstatic experiences singing in the choir of a Greek Orthodox Church. I asked him to hum the melody of one of the chants, and he sang, in a beautiful and clear voice, a melody, which in Greek is called Potirion Sotiriu meaning "Cup of Salvation" in English. The melody was haunting in its purity and profundity and I resolved, then and there, to incorporate it into a piano piece for Paul.

QUARTET FOR CLARINET AND STRINGS (1967) 7'
cl vn, va, vc - 3 movements;
Prem: Christine Lundquist, cln. USC, 1967.
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

QUINTET FOR WOODWINDS (1970) 7'35"
woodwind quintet - 3 movements;
Prem: Sheridan Stokes, fl; Richard Csomay, ob; Gary Gray, cl; Richard Mackey, hrn; Jack Marsh, bn. San Fernando Valley State College, Los Angeles, April 24, 1970
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

RAGE (1993) 10'
Subito Music
piano
Premiere October 16, 1993
Erie, Pennsylvania
Lake Erie Ballet, Jeff Satinoff, Choreographer; Recording:.GEGA
Commissioned by the Lake Erie Ballet, Rage is about the turbulent emotions of an abusive relationship. A pas de deux, it is an impassioned cry against violence. It portrays a couple imprisoned in a vicious cycle of domination and abuse, first looking at the scene through the perpetrator and then from the viewpoint of the abused, the music alternates between these two extremes.
"Intense, thought-provoking, tragic and violent" Erie Dance Review

RECITATIVE FOR ENGLISH HORN AND STRINGS (1970) 5'
Ehn, str quartet - 1 movement;
Prem: Richard Csomay Ehn; Nate Ross, Jerry Vinci vn; Joe di Fiore, vla;Gloria Stranner, vc. LA Museum of Nat Hist, October 25, 1970
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

SANDBURG SUITE (1980) 7'
Seesaw Music
piano
Premiere: Aug. 16, 1980 White Barn Theater, Connecticut
Margaret Beals Dance Company
Recording: Character Sketches, Nanette Kaplan Solomon; Leonarda
Commentary: Commissioned by Margaret Beals, this ballet is designed to be danced while the dancer recites the poem, Working Girls by Carl Sandburg. The melodic material is based on American folk music and the mood of the five variations range from folk to blues, from ragtime to gospel.
Review; "Immediately appealing"
--Discovery

SCAT (I) (1984) 6'20"
Subito Music
alto saxophone and guitar
Premiere: Jan 16, 1985; New Dimensions, Clarksville, Tennessee
Neal Ramsay, alto saxophone, Joe Rae Phillips, guitar
Commentary: A conversation between two jazz musicians as told in music.

SHENBLU (1987) 5'
Southern Music
Solo flute
Premiere: May 16, 1987; Shanghai, China; Carol Kniebusch
Commentary: Elements of Chinese Music & American Jazz; Recording: GEGA
Review"Contains an element common to both Chinese music and American jazz: the pentatonic or five-note scale. A fun piece to perform, its success depends upon the flutist's ability to present the changing moods from languid and expressive to intensely driving, primitive and guttural, in a multi-metered dance-like section." Flute Talk "A tour-de-force for flute...the work is a fascinating compositional tease and a technical challenge."
--The Ithaca Journal

SONATA FOR CELLO AND PIANO (1971) 10'11"
Seesaw
Premiere: June 20, 1971; Los Angeles, California
Victoria Bond, piano, Gloria Strasner, cello; Recording: GEGA
Reviews: "One movement in continuous change and evolution, suspended until the final cadence is a challenging concept which Bond brought off with spare yet passionate writing."
--Denver Post.
"There is a craggy lyricism that is as fresh as any music in Elliot Carter's work."
--The San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle

STALKING/ INSECTS (1996) 10'
electric viola
Premiere: January 9, 1996; The Knitting Factory, New York City
Martha Mooke
Commentary: Both of these works were commissioned by Martha Mooke for the electric viola. Stalking is inspired by my fascination with the total concentration, grace and stealth of large cats stalking their prey. Insects grew out of my interest in natural sounds and the way in which creatures communicate. The exotic colors produced by the insects provides an ample palette of sci-fi sounds suitable for an electric instrument.

TRIO FOR BRASS (1969) 7'5"
hn, tpt, tbn - 5 movements;
Prem: LA Natural Hist. Museum, October 25, 1970.
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

TRIO: OTHER SELVES (1979) 22'
Theodore Presser
violin, cello, piano
Premiere: August 21, 1979 Lennox, Massachusetts
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival; choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Recording: GEGA
Commentary: Commissioned by The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival , this ballet is based on a series of sculptures by Marjorie Michael entitled, A Woman's Journey. These portray vignettes of ordinary scenes from a woman's life in an abstract and mythic way. The music is organized as a theme and 7 variations, based on a Bach-like architectural design. Each instrument is given a solo movement and a duet, and these are interspersed with the full trio ensemble, each solo featuring a different aspect of the individual in relationship to the group.
Review: "A bravura piece, romantic in impulse but contemporary in its tonal language.. With challenging unaccompanied solos for each instrument."
--The Atlanta Journal

TWENTY-FOUR VARIATIONS FOR FLUTE (1969) 5'
Solo flute;
Prem: Sheridan Stokes, FL. LA Natural Hist. Museum, Oct 25, 1970
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

WEDDINGS & BAR MITZVAHS (1994) 5'
Subito
solo violin
Premiere: May 28, 1994; The Ringve Museum, Trondheim, Norway,
Linda Plaut; Recording: GEGA
Commentary: Musicians are traditionally called upon to entertain at important social functions. Two of the most common are weddings, familiar to all cultures, and bar mitzvahs, the celebration in the Jewish tradition of a boy's coming of age when he is 13 years old and takes his place among men. The ambiguity of these occasions is what intrigued me and what prompted me to choose a Yiddish folksong "Hat ein man eine weibele (If a man had a pretty, little wife). The words extol the virtues of the relationship, but advise the man to treat his spouse roughly if she disobeys him and to swing her around his head like a chicken by the neck. Such contrast in sentiment is expressed in the melody, which though simple and hauntingly beautiful, is never quite sure whether or not it is supposed to be cheerful. The violinist in this solo work, migrates through violently shifting emotions.

VOCAL MUSIC

ARIA FOR SOPRANO AND STRING QUARTET (1970) 5'
sop, str quartet;
Prem: V. Bond, sop. LA Natural Hist. Museum, Oct 25, 1970, poem by V.Bond.
COMPOSER

ART AND SCIENCE (2001)
baritone and piano: text: Albert Einstein
Premiere: April 25, 2001 Merkin Hall, New York City
Randall Scarlata, baritone; Cameron Stowe, piano
Commentary: Using the words from a letter written in 1927 about the relationship of art to science, the song traces the highly-structured pattern of Einstein's thoughts to create an unusual and original design.

CHANSON INNOCENTE (1968) 3'
sop, pn;
Prem: V. Bond, sop. Loyola University, LA, 1968; poem by e. e. cummings.
COMPOSER

CORNOGRAPHY (1970) 4'20"
Seesaw
soprano, horn, bassoon, text: V. Bond
Premiere: Oct 25, 1970 Los Angeles Natural History Museum
Bond, sop; Bill Hinshaw, hrn; Jack Marsh, bn.
Commentary: Humorous: Aria Obnoxious, Buffoonery and Cornography

FROM AN ANTIQUE LAND (1972) 20'
Seesaw
Song Cycle for soprano and piano
Premiere: November 10, 1976; The New School, NYC
Penny Orloff, soprano; Tana Bawden, piano
Recuerdo, Edna St Vincent Millay; Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley; Spring and Fall, Gerard Manley Hopkins; In The Spring and The Fall, Edna St. Vincent Millay

GOODBYE MY FANCY (1992)7'
Subito
baritone and piano, poem by Walt Whitman
Premiere: March 28, 1992; Symphony Space, New York City,
Nicholas Loren, baritone; Commissioned by Symphony Space
Review:"A song of farewell....engaging and accessible."
--Roanoke Times

IMPRESSIONS V (1968) 3'
sop, pn;
Prem: V. Bond. Sop. Loyola Univ. LA, 1968; poem by e.e. cummings.
COMPOSER

MARGARET (1984) 7'46"
Seesaw
soprano, flute, violin, cello, piano; Poem by G. M. Hopkins.
Premiere: October 18, 1984; New York City
Judith Otten sop, North/South Consonance Ensemble
Review: "An evocative, eerily tense setting of the Hopkins poem" NY Times "Engaging, successful in its instrumental moments"
--NY Times

MIRROR, MIRROR (1969) 2'45"
Seesaw
soprano, flute, viola; Poem by Michael Halprin,
Premiere: October 25, 1970; Los Angeles Natural History Museum
V. Bond, sop; Sheridan Stokes, fl; Joe di fiore, vla..
Commentary: based on Lewis Carroll's: "Alice Through the Looking Glass."

MIRROR OF NATURE (1971) 5'10"
4 sop, 2 vc; film score for film of same name.
Prem: LA County Museum, Aug. 12, 1971;
COMPOSER

MOLLY MANYBLOOM (1990) 45'
Theodore Presser
soprano and string quartet; text: James Joyce, Ulysses
Premiere: March 10, 1991; Albany NY
L'Ensemble: Ida Faiella, soprano; Barry Fincair, Ruth Waterman, violins; Paul Cortese, viola;, Beverly Lauridson, cello
Review: "Ms Bond's work, a setting of the final section of Ulysses, grants Molly something that Joyce denied her when he married her off to Bloom: she lets Molly be a prima donna, and gives her a powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding soprano line. Like Joyce's text, it is by turns wistful, angry, caustic, rhapsodic and nostalgic. And around it, Ms Bond has woven an expressive, dynamic quartet score in which the instruments are heard alone, in duets with Molly, and in a promiscuous combination of duets, trios and full ensembles. The language is pervasively chromatic, yet it takes in influences of all sorts, including blues, a waltz and fragments of popular songs mentioned by Joyce."
--The NY Times
"Impressive, ambitious and effective."
--Harold Prince

PETER QUINCE AT THE CLAVIER (1978) 16'
Seesaw
soprano (plays percussion); piano; poem by Wallace Stevens
tam-tam; hi-hat cymbals; wind chimes; triangle; tambourine
Premiere: April 16, 1978; 92nd Street Y, New York City
Penny Orloff, soprano and percussion; Becky Silver, piano
Recording: Penny Orloff, sop; Zita Carno, pno., Protone Records
Commentary: Conceived as a monodrama, the singer portrays the narrator as well as each character in the Biblical narrative of Susanna and the Elders.
Reviews: "An aurally and visually unique work. Bond has designated specific letters for the five positions assumed by the singer during the performance. The singer moves at specified times in order to play particular percussion instruments while singing or during interludes. This work is fascinating in its use of the voice. Bond move quickly from cantabile to whispering in the first few bars. The considerable use of sprechstimme and whispered tones is contrasted by a long-spun cadenza. There is also a great deal of dramatic and dynamic contrast. It is rhythmically complex for both performers and has frequent meter changes. The clever use of vocal and percussive effects creates a phantasmagorical work, difficult to interpret but well worth the effort."
--New Directions
"An ambitious and diverting monodrama."
--New York Times

PREPARE (1994) 10'
Subito Music
Baritone and piano; Text by Ann Goette
Premiere: January 19, 1994; Danny Kaye Playhouse, New York
Robert Osborne, baritone; Malcolm Halliday, piano
Commentary: Comm. by the Minerva World Premiere Series, this aria appeared in the opera Travels. A fundamentalist preacher tells his congregation to prepare for Heaven by giving him their worldly goods.

SCAT (II) (1984) 5'
Seesaw Music
soprano and trumpet
Premiere: January 23, 1985; Chapel Concert Series New York
Judith Otten, sop; James Hamlin, trumpet
CommentaryAn improvisation in which the singer voices nonesense syllables as text, and the musical material is exchanged and varied as in a jam session.
Review: "Patterned after Bond's idea of Ella Fitzgerald, the performers let their hair down and sent us back into the cold night with a smile and the feeling that the trip had been well worthwhile."
--The Prospect Press

SUITE AUX TROUBADOURS (1970) 11'40"
Seesaw
soprano, flute, oboe (EH), viola, cello, lute or harp
Premiere: October 25, 1970; L A Museum of Natural History
Bond, sop, lute; Sheridan Stokes, fl; Richard Csomay, ob. Joe di Fiore, vla;
Gloria Strasner, vc.
Commentary: This suite of songs and dances was conceived as a 20th-century look into the past. The original troubadours and trouveres texts and music are taken as points of departure.
Review: "A composer of great flair and originality. Her treatment of medieval troubadour songs was an exciting transformation of the material."
--The Register-Pajaronian

CHORUS

GUIDO D'AREZZO (2006) 15'
solo soprano, children's chorus, organ, percussion
Text by Susan Roth with additional lyrics by Victoria Bond
Commissioned by Associazione Culturale Amici del Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele di Arezzo
based Susan Roth book Do-Re-Mi Guido d'Arezzo and the Written Language of Music
Premiere: December 15, 2006 Arezzo, Italy

TAROT (1978) 21'
Subito
solo soprano, chorus SATB, percussion ensemble (7players)
Text by Penny Orloff
Premiere: April 17, 1978; Fairmont, West Virginia
Commentary: Commissioned by Fairmont College, these three movements based on three tarot cards use a different language and a different color to emphasize the quality of each card. The first card is the Magician. His color is red and he is the shaman in a ritual, bridging human and divine, his spiritual powers drawn from the animal energy of nature. His language is Swahili. The second card is the High Priestess, whose color is yellow. She provides warmth, tranquillity and life-giving energy. Her language is Sanscrit. The third card is the fool, who color is blue and whose language is English. He is pictured walking off a cliff,but he knows that he will not fall because he can fly. He represents imagination and creativity.
--Band Music

13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A BLACKBIRD (1967) 7'28"
Subito Music
soprano and piano; poem by Wallace Stevens
Premiere: 1967; University of Southern California
V. Bond, soprano; Royal Crowell, piano

TONGUE TWISTERS (1981) 7'
SA - 3 movements: TWO TREE TOADS, CANON OF CANS, BUSTED!
SEESAW MUSIC CORP.

WHITE ON BLACK (1983) 6'
Subito Music
concerto for saxophone quartet and concert band
sax quartet; 2 f, picc, 2ob, EH, 3 B-flat clar,1 E-flat cl, 1 bs-cl, 2bn; 4hn, 3
B-flat cornets, 2 tpt, 3 tbn, bar, tba, str bass, timp; perc(4)
Premiere: 1983 CW Post College, NY; American Concert Band
Award Winner, Symposium XV for New Band Music, Radford VA.
Commentary: White on Black, so named because it was written by a white person in a style inspired by the black jazz tradition. Each of the four saxes has his own personality: the soprano sax is high strung and somewhat neurotic; the alto sax is mellow and a smooth talker; the tenor sax is light hearted and a bit of a clown; and the baritone sax is a jock with swaggering bravado. These personalities identify themselves at the opening of the piece and are introduced by the full ensemble playing the work's main theme, a rhythmic big band-style tutti. The ensemble remarks to each other as each sax makes its appearance, like spectators watching a parade. The main theme re-appears in a rondo-like form, separating the various solo sections and closing the work.

COMMISSIONS

PUBLISHERS

THEODORE PRESSER COMPANY
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Attention Mary Lou Humphrey
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New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212-254-2100
Fax: 212-254-2013
mlh@schirmer.com

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Attention: David Murray
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Phone: 973-857-3440
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Attention: Brad Lorenz
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Phone: 212-206-8125
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Attention: Tonda Marton
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tonda@martonagency.com

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Attention: Renee Higgins
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smcinfo@southernmusic.com

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Attention: Raoul Ronson
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New York NY 10023
Phone: 212-874-1200

Record Companies

QUALITON IMPORTS
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Long Island City, NY 11101 718-937-8515
ron@qualiton.com

KOCH INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS
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delgiorno@kochint.com

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Fax: 1-800-752-1954
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LEONARDA PRODUCTIONS
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P.O. Box 1736
New York, NY 10025-1559
marnie@leonarda.com