Roumain's 'Ghetto Strings'

Synopsis

From its founding in 1986 the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet has both commissioned new works and arranged old ones for their ensemble of four virtuoso guitarists. On today’s date in 2001, the quartet premiered a new commission: Ghetto Strings, a suite of four pieces written by Haitian-American composer Daniel Bernard Roumain.

Daniel Bernard Roumain — or DBR as he likes to be called — was born in Skokie, Illinois, but grew up in Southern Florida, surrounded by music from Latin communities — the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic — as well as his own family’s Haitian music. He took up violin at 5, and says he absorbed a variety of classical and contemporary music. In junior high, he formed his own rock and hip-hop band and in high school played in a jazz orchestra which brought in guests like Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles. He later pursued formal musical studies with mentors William Bolcom and Michael Daugherty, earning both his masters and doctoral degrees.

The four movements of his Ghetto Strings evoke four places Roumain has called home at various points in his life: Harlem, Detroit, Liberty City in Miami and Haiti.

Music Played in Today's Program

Daniel Bernard Roumain (b. 1970): Haiti from Ghetto Strings; Minneapolis Guitar Quartet; innova CD 858

On This Day

Births

• 1873 - Belgian composer and organist Joseph Jongen, in Liège

• 1929 - American composer Ron Nelson, in Joliet, Illinois

Deaths

• 1788 - German composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, 74, in Hamburg

• 1861 - German opera composer Heinrich Marschner, 66, in Hanover

Premieres

• 1918 - Puccini: one-act opera trilogy Il Trittico (Il Tabarro, Suor Angelico, and Gianni Schicchi) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York

• 1924 - Respighi: tone poem, The Pines of Rome, in Rome, at the Augusteo, Bernardo Molinari conducting;

• 1925 - Berg: opera, Wozzeck, in Berlin, at the Staatsoper, with Erich Kleiber conducting

• 1936 - Barber: String Quartet, Op. 11, at the Villa Aurelia in Rome (Italy), by the Pro Arte Quartet

• 1969 - Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2, in Baden-Baden, Germany, by the LaSalle Quartet

• 1975 - Ruth Crawford Seeger: Suite for Piano and Woodwind Quintet, in Cambridge, Massachussets

• 1983 - George Perle: Serenade No. 3 for Piano and Chamber Orchestra,in New York City, by Richard Goode and the Music Today Ensemble conducted by Gerard Schwarz

• 1997 - Morten Lauridsen: Ave Maria for a cappella chorus, by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Paul Salamunovich conducting

• 1997 - Joan Tower: Rain Waves, at the Frick Museum in New York, by the Verdehr Trio