Judith Shatin

Cello, Horn, and Piano

Composer's Note:

The title Canta la Sal is drawn from Pablo Neruda’s profound poem Oda a La Sal. One of the joys of creating music for particular performers is the discussion that goes into the process. Early on, when asked if she had any particular ideas that she wished to share, hornist Anne Howarth mentioned salt – how it is essential for life and how it is dissolved in both the tears of our sadness and of joy. This resonated with me, and as I undertook some research into the topic it led me to Pablo Neruda’s magnificent ode. In it, he speaks eloquently of the singing of salts on the flats, the mountain of buried light in the mines, the transparent cathedral, the crystal of the sea and the wonders of its flavor. Salt connects the intimacy of our tongues to the enormity of the oceans. These images and metaphors inspired the harmonic, rhythmic and timbral trajectories of the trio. 

Commissioned by the Juventas New Music Ensemble and Boston Conservatory with additional support from the Meir Rimon Commissioning Assistance Program of the International Horn Society.