Michael Rothkopf

flute, audio fixed media/computer

Composer's Note:

In the summer of 2010 while visiting the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. I found a display of a flute carved from the tusk of a woolly mammoth.  I thought of longevity of musicians on this planet and the ubiquitous nature of the flute.  Not only is it an instrument that has been with us for at least 35,000 years, but also its presence is found in just about every culture in our world.  It is also highly probable that at any time of the day or night, somewhere in the world, a flutist is picking up their instrument to make music.  

The word "Gitanjali" is an ancient Sanskrit word that means “song offering” or “pray offering of song.”  Poet Rabindranath Tagore chose the word for his set of poems in 1910 and wrote in his first poem, “This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over hills and dales, and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new.”  Gitanjali is dedicated to all those who eternally pick up their “little flute of a reed,” make music and carry us forward.

Publisher's Note:

New 2025 edition. Purchase includes download to electronic media files - an Apple operating system (macOS) is required to run the electronics on this piece.