Lonesome Whistle (2007)


Linda Toote, flute

I composed Lonesome Whistle while in residence at the artists’ enclave iPark. It was hot summertime, there were expansive woods nearby, and the sound of mourning doves was consistent and haunting. That reminded me of an experience hearing many Whippoorwills in the night some years before, another haunting sound. I took long walks and found a deep sense of isolation at iPark, which is in surprisingly rural Connecticut. All this suggested Hank Williams’ mournful classic, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, which makes a brief appearance in the piece. Isolation, mournful birds, fluttering night sounds pervade...

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