Lydia Kakabadse: The Feast of Herod – for Greek bouzouki, violin, viola, cello and double bass (NXP156)

This is a sheet music edition of The Feast of Herod by the composer Lydia Kakabadse.

Sheet music for Greek bouzouki, violin, viola, cello and double bass

Score: 12 pages
Greek bouzouki: 2 pages
Violin: 2 pages
Viola: 2 pages
Cello: 2 pages
Double bass: 2 pages

Duration: 4 minutes

Preface and programme notes

Completed in August 2023, this piece is scored for Greek bouzouki, violin, viola, cello and double bass. The Feast of Herod depicts a banquet scene, where a veiled dancer performs an exotic dance, followed by dancers of the harem. It is made up of 2 movements, characterized by an emphasis on melody and rhythm, rather than harmony and makes use of variational techniques (ornamentation, melodic/ rhythmic patterns).

The work has been recorded on the Divine Art label and is included in my choral/chamber album “Kefi.”

I. The Veiled Dancer

The 1st movement opens with the bouzouki playing a short bravura solo “ad lib” after which it introduces the main theme over a viola/cello open 5th drone accompaniment. Much use is made of the double harmonic scale of D, where the 2 augmented seconds (E♭ to F# and B♭ to C#) give the scale a strong Middle Eastern flavour, whilst the double bass, playing pizzicato, reinforces the tonality of D. Both the violin and viola introduce variations to the main theme, followed by the bouzouki, which repeats the main theme over a pizzicato rhythm.

II. Dance of the Harem

From the very outset, the double bass, playing pizzicato, establishes a Middle Eastern rhythm known as maqsoum. The violin enters announcing the main theme, accompanied by the viola, cello and double bass, all playing pizzicato. The bouzouki then takes centre stage announcing the 2nd theme, which it repeats a 5th lower, and which is then taken up by the double bass in its higher register. The piece is brought to a pianissimo close following the reappearance of the 1st theme played by the bouzouki.