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Aggadot is scored for vocal quartet and five instrumentalists and was commissioned by the Joensuu Festival for performance there in 1995. It is based on episodes from the Old Testament and the Apochrypha: David, the lamentations of Jeremiah, and Judith. The four vocal parts - soprano, contralto, tenor and bass - sing some words in Hebrew which outline the subject matter of the three movements. They are also asked to produce various kinds of onomatopoeic sounds, wailings and shouts of joy, sprechstimme and sprechgesang. According to the biblical account David was a shepherd who was later proclaimed king of Israel. In the first movement of the work David consoles King Saul, who is sitting in melancholic reflection. In the second scene of the movement we come across David along with Saul's daughter Michal, whose hand Saul has given to David in marriage. The two young ones sing a love duet. In the lamentations of Jeremiah the four vocal parts join together in improvised lamenting and prayers in which they beseech the Lord to have mercy on Jerusalem and the people of Israel. In the third movement we hear the lament of Judith in the night as the Persian general Holophernes stands with his army at the city gates. She prays for courage and strength and departs for the camp with the intention of foiling Holophernes' plans. She enters the great general's tent and succeeds in charming him into drinking too much wine. He eventually falls asleep in a drunken stupour. Then Judith is filled with the strength that she prayed for and beheads Holophernes with his own sword. She sneaks back to the city and relates what has occurred. When the Persian soldiers find out that Holophernes is dead panic spreads in their midst. But the Israelites are overjoyed that God has save them through Judith. They rejoice and thank and praise the Lord. Amid this ecstatic atmosphere one may hear not only shouts of joy but also thunderous percussion and the jingle of tambourines and triangles which the happy folk are beating with their hands. The instrumentation includes flute, clarinet and bassoon. The clarinetist doubles on bass clarinet and the bassoonist on double bassoon. The two percussionists make use of drums of several kinds, as well as cymbals, gongs and twntam, and vibraphone, marimba and flexatone. © Erik Bergman (Fennica Gehrman)

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Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin