Londonderry Suite: Viola

Washburn has done the hard work of making Irish traditional music feel fresh and concert-worthy without simplifying it into something unrecognizable. Three distinct pieces flow into each other with real narrative arc, and the writing sits comfortably for intermediate players while sounding far more polished than the grade level suggests.

Bright and spirited, with moments of genuine lyricism. The hornpipe crackles with energy, the air settles into something tender and lyrical, and the jig sends you out dancing. Together they feel like a complete musical journey rather than a collection of excerpts.

Intermediate string orchestras looking for legitimate concert repertoire that connects to world music traditions. This works equally well for festival programming or a concert centered on cultural music.

• Balance the melodic lines across your first violins and violas during the Air; this movement lives or dies on the warmth of those voices sustaining the ornamentation.
• Rhythmic precision in the jig pays enormous dividends. Mark the triplet subdivisions in rehearsal so your players lock the characteristic lilt rather than rushing it.
• Let the hornpipe breathe slightly at the phrase endings before launching into the next section. These pieces work best when you honor the space between ideas.

Open a concert with this as your first piece to establish energy and goodwill with your audience, or use it as a palate cleanser between heavier contemporary or classical works. At 134 pages, it's substantial enough to anchor a program but nimble enough to pair with two or three other selections.

• Ornamentation in the context of folk idiom (grace notes, turns)
• Rhythmic differentiation between common time and the lilting triple subdivisions of jigs
• Phrase shaping and breathing across melodic lines
• Balance and blend within multi-part string writing
• Historical and cultural awareness of Irish music traditions