I’m continuing to work on my pond-based pieces, and have a fourth piece completed.  This duet incorporates whole tone scales, which possess a mystical, mysterious quality.  The piece is broadly in Bb major, but the second and third sections feature some secondary dominants that, at times, push the key closer to D major.  The whole tone scales also give a sense of atonality to sections of the piece, representing the mystery of moonlight.

A haunting duet for flute and bass clarinet, “Moonlight Shimmer” shimmers across three distinct sections, each weaving and overlapping with the other. The piece depicts the gentle shimmering of soft moonlight on a koi pond at on a quiet night.

Here’s the original manuscript, which shows the whole tone scales of the first section:

What do you think, readers?  Have I captured the essence of moonlight shimmering on the surface of a pond?

Happy Listening!

—TPP