Description
My father enjoyed singing, particularly when the family went on road trips. One of our favorite songs that he sang was "The Far North Land." Several years ago, my sister recorded our father singing this song for use on the soundtrack of one of her movies. I later transcribed the song from that recording and used it as the foundation for this piece. My aunts told me they recalled my father singing this song when he was a boy growing up in Minnesota, and that they referred to it as "Fletch's song." It was only while working on this piece that I discovered that Duncan, Clear Water and Bear Skin are actual lakes in the border lakes region where Minnesota meets Canada.
The arrangement for string quartet was premiered by the OdeonQuartet at Seattle's Town Hall on October 21, 2003.
The arrangment for string orchestra is available from Imagine Music Publishing.