Dance of Mrs. Holman’s Demon Chickens

Description

Audio

Video

Duration

2 min.

Instrumentation

Two Clarinets

Program Notes

My relative, John Gibson, lived in the Massachusetts Colony. In 1659 he accused a neighbor lady, Mrs. Holman, of witchcraft. One of the reasons had to do with her chickens who had been getting into John’s barn and eating his grain. He complained and the chickens stopped coming right away. Realizing you cannot tell a chicken what to do, he thought it must be witchcraft. Fortunately, Mrs. Holman was not convicted! This is an advanced clarinet duet that captures the musical essence of those “demon chickens”. – John Gibson, 2013