To the Person Inside the Bell Jar - SOLO BSN

To the Person Inside the Bell Jar
for unaccompanied bassoon
by Becky Turro

This is an interesting and challenging piece that uses a few extended techniques and multiphonics.  All multiphonic fingerings are included, as well as performance notes.

For those unfamiliar with Sylvia Plathʼs novel, the bell jar is an image that reappears time and time again throughout the book, becoming a metaphor of mental illness. Plath, who suffered greatly from depression, wrote this novel as a fictionalized memoir, recounting traumatic moments from her young adulthood. This piece is, in a way, a dedication to the great Sylvia Plath, who is the person inside the bell jar.
“To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream.”
- Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar

This piece was commissioned by Eden Treado.  To listen to Eden play the premiere, click here.

About the composer:

BECKY TURRO  (b. 1997, New Jersey) has become known for creating works that are “incredibly serene and so evocative.” (Kari Landry, CityBeat). As a gender-queer composer, and having grown up in the Appalachian area of northern New Jersey, their music often draws inspiration from ideas of transformation and natural landscapes. They believe that art is created for two reasons: as a means to marvel at the world’s beauty, or as a suggestion for change. 

Turro’s music has been performed across the United States by ensembles such as the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Kalliope Reed Quintet, Fifth House Ensemble, subtle cheetah, and the Denison Symphony Orchestra. In addition to Trevco Music, Turro also has music published under Akropolis Works. 

Turro received their BM in Composition from Rutgers University in 2019, and completed their MM in Composition from Ithaca College in 2021, studying under Robert Aldridge, Jorge Grossmann, and Evis Sammoutis. 

For more information, visit beckyturrocomposer.com