Just a little white with the dust

Just a little white with the dust (2025) for solo bassoon The work of Issac Rosenberg(1890-1918), or infact the work of any late-romantic artist who experienced the horrors of the First World-War, has found a deeply seeded place in my heart. The old world that once was, was gone, and the naivete of that world replaced with the guilt and loss of the war. It is interesting to see the shift in style of these artists that expierenced the war rst-hand and Rosenberg is a facinating example of that shift. His poem, "Break of Day in the Trenches"(1916), is an ironic telling of dawn in the trenches; sharing the absurdity of war and how to the speaker, war makes a mockery of nature. Poppys for instance, thrived in the horrid conditions due to the "nutriant-rich soil" in and around the battle eld. Their solidarity, spite their fragility, made them a sort of good luck charm. The title of this work, Just a little white with the dust, refers to the aftermath from a shell impact near the speaker. Stating the safety of the poppy, but the fate of the speaker is left unknown, a common theme during the First World-War.

This piece was written as part of a collaberation between the Wood County Library for their 150th anniversary and the Music Composition Department at Bowling Green State University. We were asked to write with one of two themes in mind, "What the library has to offer" and/or "What the library has done for me", I chose the latter. I also chose the rather grim text as further insperation becasue I saw a similarity between the two: safety within the unknown. For me, the library has been a place where I can grow as a person and feel safe while doing so. A collection of knowledge and a shelter from the world outside. It was a place where I ate, studied, and worked throughout high school, where I knew that I would be at peace.

EM