Bytown Waters (2017) - 20', for piano trio

Bytown Waters is inspired by the waters running through Ottawa and by various accounts regarding the origins of the city, from the period in which it was called Bytown. Natural aspects of the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal as well as the important roles these bodies played in the growth and development of the city and region were reflected upon while composing the four movements of this work.

I. River Stones: skipping flat stones on a mirror-like surface of water; concentric circles radiating outward; underneath an underlying current moves inexorably forward.

II. River Drift: this movement is a barge song of sorts. In the early 19th Century the timber trade was the major industry of Upper Canada and Lower Canada and Bytown was a centre for lumber and sawmills. The Ottawa River and later, the Rideau Canal, were the principal routes for shipping lumber to Quebec and from there onward to England and other European countries. Great timber rafts, containing thousands of logs and holding hundreds of raftsmen would make the weeks-long journey to ports in Quebec. This movement is inspired by the steady rhythm of the raftsmen’s oars and the varying conditions of the river along the journey.

III. River Whisper: the stark beauty of a moment in the cold of winter when the river waters are frozen and dusted with snow.

IV. Riverrun: this movement is inspired by river rapids and the various construction projects, such as timber slides and even the Rideau Canal, which allowed loggers moving timber downriver to bypass dangerous waters. Musically, this movement has a restless energy associated with large construction projects. If one notices a certain cloak and dagger spice to the music it could have to do with the fact that the canal was built for the purpose of secure military communications and movement of supplies. A snippet of a folk melody makes a cameo as a tribute to the Irish and French Canadian workers who did most of the construction work on the canal.

Bytown Waters was composed in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Gryphon Trio.