An atmospheric tone poem for solo double bass employing harmonics, fast pizzicato and double stops. Written in an accessible and basically tonal idiom, this makes use of technique and musical imagination in equal measure. The ability to create musical lines and strong architectural phrasing make this a piece which communicates to both player and audience alike.

Newly typeset in 2015.

The composer writes: 'Fool and Angel Entering a City (1993) is a tone poem for unaccompanied double bass inspired by a painting created in 1969 by Cecil Collins (1908-1990), and unsung, prolific British artist who was a 20th-century William Blake. His visions of angelic and magical worlds symbolising mankind's lost paradises are brilliant tapestries of colour and drama. The work frollows on from a number of pieces I have written based on Cecil Collins' paintings. In Fool and Angel Entering a City we can see an angel guiding the wise fool towards a golden turreted city with the sun rising just beyond. The city, set on a rolling terrain, is the paradise the fool seeks.
The thematic material symbolises the three focal points - the low double stops are the city rooted into the earth; the ethereal harmonics are the angel's aura; and the pizzicato passages are the fools enthralment as he sees the city. Gradually these ideas are interwoven depicting musically the overall unity of the painting.'

James D'Angelo has had a varied career as a composer, pianist, organist, educator, course leader on Sound Therapy and writer. He has composed in most genres, except opera, and was formerly on the music faculty of the City College of New York and Golsmiths College, London. His work has been published and performed internationally and his song 'Elegy', set to words by Walt Whitman, was awarded First Prize at the Arklow International Music Festival in Ireland. In 2011 James D'Angelo founded Trio D'Angelo which has a growing performance diary in London and around Britain.

"This is a highly accessible piece for an intermediate/advanced level bassist and could serve as an excellent introduction to contemporary music." [ISB]

ATCL Diploma

Performance Level: Advanced