Evocations

For Ukulele, ca. 6′
In Standard Notation and Tab

Sample ScorePrinted Score (U.S. only) – $15.00
 Digital Edition PDF – $12.00
Samantha Muir performing Evocations by Loretta Notareschi

About the Music 

Evocations is a concert piece for classical ukulele. As unexpected as that genre may be, the ukulele is actually an ideal instrument for playing sensitive, delicate, fingerstyle textures. At times, the instrument sounds like a classical guitar. At other times, it sounds like a harp. While originally conceived for soprano ukulele, the piece may also be played on a concert or tenor instrument, all tuned in the standard,  re-entrant “high G” tuning. 

The slow opening and closing sections of Evocations display the singing, resonant aspect of the ukulele. They feature rolled chords, tremolo, and passionate outbursts of rasgueado (flamenco-style) strumming. The middle sections show off fast, virtuosic finger picking and also some raucous, energetic strumming. I chose the title because the piece evokes different moods and characters from moment to moment, all within the intimate world of a soloist.

Many thanks to Samantha Muir for her inspiration and guidance as we worked out the details of the composition. I am thrilled she has chosen to present the piece on YouTube following her premiere performances in Australia in summer 2019. 

LKN
November 6, 2019