Night Song for Flute and Harp

H. Leslie Adams is known for his deeply personal compositional language; a sound that lies somewhere beyond Debussy, with a lush sense of jazzy romance. His Night Song for flute and harp (unrelated to the work for voice) is no exception. Like many of the standard yet small repertoire works for flute and harp - Lutosławski’s 3 Fragments, Ibert’s Entr’acte, Jongen’s Danse Lente - the harpist takes a leading role, with the flutist variously adding color, emphasizing melodic lines and counterpoint, or outlining sparkling filigree about the harp’s steady lines.

Notably, Adams also enhances the textural possibilities of the ensemble with several well-applied Salzedo techniques in the harp. The flute, in contrast, uses extended technique sparingly - a few notes of flutter-tongue for color, and neo-Romantic tone painting otherwise.

New 2020 engraved edition from 1983 original.