The name is absent

12

people watching a storm approach over the course of a day. It is clear that she had the
narrative in mind before the work was begun, since she selected the instrumentation for
its programmatic potential:

I chose the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon because of the color of clouds
right before a tornado. Somehow, the chord structures in the piece they
represent... and the violin and cello, yes, because of what happens in the
overtones when you combine strings and winds.²³

In more practical terms, Larsen knew that this piece would have both limited rehearsal
time and personnel available for its first performance, so she chose an ensemble that
would create the sound of a concerted piece with as few musicians as possible.

In retrospect, Larsen considers the viola, not the ensemble as a whole, as the
observer in the work, although that image was not in her mind when she wrote it.²⁴ Black
Roller also has some very conversational qualities, especially in the imitative way the
woodwind parts are scored. Considering the subject matter, the program notes, and the
structure of the piece, it is clear that Larsen created a distinct musical story or narrative in
this work.

Analysis

In Larsen’s description of Black Roller, five events are outlined: 1) a group of
people watching the approach of the storm, 2) the feeling of deathly stillness, 3) the light
rippling wind, 4) the storm, and 5) the aftermath. While the score gives no indication as
to where the sections begin, this is for the most part discernible through the use of

²³ Ibid.

24 TUJJ

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