Helena Winkelman
Papa Haydn's Parrot
for String Orchestra (Score only)
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Helena Winkelman
Papa Haydn's Parrot
for String Orchestra (Score only)
- Instrumentation String Orchestra
- Composer Helena Winkelman
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Difficulty Level
- Edition Score
- Publisher Editions Bim
- Order no. BIM-QC15B
ships within 1-2 weeks
Description:
Papa Haydn’s *Parrot* for string orchestra is an adaptation of Winkelmans’ second string quartet of the same name. In 2022, at the request of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the composer arranged three of the original eight movements for a larger ensemble. In the orchestral version, the seventh, sixth, and eighth movements now form a short suite. The original work was commissioned by the Esterházy Private Foundation. Since this is the place where Joseph Haydn worked for many years, Winkelmans’ composition is intended as a tribute to the old master. After Haydn’s death, a parrot was found among his belongings; it had been the composer’s student and companion. Haydn had purchased it years earlier in London. After his death, the bird was auctioned off for a higher price than Haydn had once paid for the entire second floor of his house—such was the cult of the composer in Vienna at that time. Winkelman’s quartet is therefore a paraphrase of Haydn’s string quartet, which bears the nickname "Bird Quartet." Each movement of Haydn’s quartet is reflected in the original eight short movements of Winkelman’s new composition. The seventh movement, "RONDO IN PRESENCE OF FLEAS – a manic scratching miniature," opens the orchestral suite. It is closest to Haydn’s original and corresponds to its fourth movement. In it, Winkelman humorously pokes fun at the wigs worn by the nobility of the time and their inhabitants. Numerous sound effects behind the bridge and on the fingerboard make the fleas audible—as does the desperate scratching of their tormented victims. The sixth movement, "VARIATIONS ON VERY LITTLE," draws on the slow movement of Haydn’s quartet, particularly its masterful use of ornamentation and diminution. The instruments follow one another in close imitation, while the harmony has a warm and mysterious quality. The final movement, "HAYDN ON THE ROCKS – YOUR PERSONAL BIRD EXPERIENCE," is the freest of them all. Where Haydn uses a popular theme in his final movement, Winkelman draws a connection to jazz and rock idioms—never forgetting that in English, "a bird" can also mean a girl. The performance instruction for the performers is: Think Big Band.