“The private strife of man and wife
is useful to the nation.
It is a harmless outlet for
emotions that could lead to war
or social agitation!”

-- lyrics by Richard Wilbur, spoken by the character Pangloss in the song “Best of All Possible Worlds” from Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide”

When visitors turn up at the services at my church, Mt. Auburn Presbyterian, we coax ‘em to join us for afterwards for "coffee hour" and then quickly learn their names and what instruments they play.

Our assumption that they are musicians or music lovers is rarely mistaken. The church has a well-deserved reputation as a place where superb music-making happens -- it’s one reason why visitors come.

Flutist Julie Morris and oboist Yo Shionoya are a young married couple who visited for the first time about three years ago. Our Minister of Music, Chris Miller, soon pressed them into service to play during the Offertory and to accompany anthems sung by the choir.

A delightful couple, both superb musicians, they have become good friends to the congregation and to me. Of course, I had to compose music for them to play in church.

I wrote a “Romance” for them, scored for flute, oboe and piano. It is “Romantic” music -- no surprise there -- pretty, sweet, very lovey-dovey.

Then I wrote a suite for just the two of them, four short movements, any of which would be a suitable Offertory. Using their first names, I titled it: “Julie-Yo Suite.”

(I think the combination of their names, “Julie-Yo,” is fun to say out loud. The coinage rolls off the tongue and, like Julie and Yo themselves, it makes people smile.)

Having already written a sincerely Romantic piece for them, I found an imp on my shoulder as I penned the first movement of this flute-oboe suite. I decided to make it a depiction of a marital “spat.”

The point of disagreement and the progression of the argument on both sides is specifically laid out in the score, verbally, as you will see if you follow the score as you listen, using the PDF I provide, below.

The piece is in the key of E flat major. Both agree on that. The disagreement is the question of whether the 7th degree of the scale is to be a D natural or a D flat. Julie favors the D natural while Yo favors the D flat. Both sound good enough; it’s a matter of preference. But the piece as a whole can’t have it both ways. It has to be one or the other. Things began OK but very soon they argue over which is the proper 7th degree, the proper “ti” (if you think in terms of do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do).

The score includes a description of the “squabble.” Look for these words and phrases: Concord. Discord. Flute says D natural! Oboe says D flat! No one is happy. They argue. She wants to be alone. (flute solo). He wants to be alone. (oboe solo). More arguing! And, at last … they make up. Concord returns. Happy ending.

Who wins the fight? Well, once they make up, the oboe plays D naturals. No more D flats. The oboe may still secretly feel that his D flat was “the right note.” He is entitled to his opinion.

But he has learned that there is something more important than a die-hard insistence on his cherished D flat, on having his way. He has learned an important lesson: you can be right OR you can be happy. Sometimes you have to choose.

For my part, I think he chose wisely. To my ear, the D natural is the better choice. See what you think.

To hear the opening movement of the “Julie-Yo Suite,” as recorded by flutist Betty Douglas and oboist Yo Shionoya, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.

You may wonder: why didn’t Julie record the suite? Because she is studying abroad for a year while Yo completes his doctoral work here, at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

Betty and Yo’s recording of my “Julie-Yo Suite” will be featured on a CD of my new music titled “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” It is slated for release sometime late next year. I will announce it when the time comes. For now, I am planning to share the other three movements in these Sunday morning email messages during the next couple of months.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Nov. 16, 2025

🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶

Today I’d like to share with you the second movement, an intimate and softly Romantic contrast to the perky, exuberant movements that precede and follow it.

It begins wistfully, with the flute playing a phrase by itself, then the oboe playing an answering phrase by itself. Then they play together, the flute carrying the tune, the oboe accompanying.

Then the oboe soars while the flute plays running passages in support.

At 1:04, the character of the music changes. A second, cheerier tune is introduced and developed, sometimes in canon. Composers have been writing canons for a thousand years and that trick is just as potent now as it was back then. There is something about musical phrases being echoed that appeals to us

At 2:42, the wistful theme that opened the movement is heard again, this time first in the oboe, then in the flute ... and then developed in turn.

Be careful to listen all the way to the end. I offer this caution because the music seems to stop several times before the actual ending is reached. The listener is meant to wonder, “Is it over?” (Another very old composer’s trick.)

The movement makes me think of delicate, antique hand-painted china, perhaps a tea cup and matching saucer. Beautiful in a quiet, cozy way.

To hear the second movement of the “Julie-Yo Suite,” as recorded by flutist Betty Douglas and oboist Yo Shionoya, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Mar. 29, 2026

www.sowash.com

🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶

Today I want to share the third movement.

It has an archaic tang to it. You’ll hear that right off. It is reminiscent of the music played by ensembles specializing in “Early Music,” -- the music of the Renaissance -- played on antique instruments. But my suite is scored for modern instruments. No sackbutts or crum horns!

It might serve as the score for a scene in a movie: lords and ladies of the Renaissance, colorfully clad and engaged in genteel dancing.

Witten for a married couple, the score offers a great deal of interchange between the two instruments. They imitate each other, trying over the same little phrases, sometimes repeating precisely, other times paraphrasing. Sometimes playing together, other times separately. The music-making is conversational, even argumentative in places, but always cheerful. Julie and Yo appear to be a happy couple.

Julie and Yo love the suite and have played it several times -- in church and also in a home concert we presented a few years back, yes, in our home. It offered “Chamber Music” quite literally played in our “chambers” for an audience of 25 invited guests. A lovely occasion.

As I write these words, the natural world is burgeoning. Our gardens have never looked better. There’s been plenty of rain and every plant is fully green and rapidly growing. Flowers and ferns and, yes, weeds. In fact, right after I tap the “send” button for this email, I’m going outside to chop weeds and spread mulch in the cool morning air.

A chore, yes, but done joyfully, you understand? Joyfully!

To hear the third movement of the suite played by flutist Betty Douglas and oboist Yo Shionoya, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.
 
Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
May 31, 2026

www.sowash.com

P.S. CD recordings of my music can be purchased at kickshawrecords.com. Sales of my CDs and books help to cover the costs of making these recordings you kindly permit me to send to you every Sunday morning. Thanks for helping in this small but important way!