Kasa (Halo) of the Moon

for flute and piano (1978)

Duration: ca. 10 minutes

Kasa (Halo of the Moon) is comprised of five short movements, which are played without a pause. Movements two and four are for solo flute and solo piano respectively.  The title of the work is taken from a haiku by Yamazaki Sokan (1465-1553):

If it rains,

Come with your umbrella,

Midnight moon

The Japanese word for umbrella is kasa, which can also mean "halo (of  the moon).” In this work the halo refers to the use of harmonics, played on the piano's  strings, which  form a ‘halo’ around the notes of the flute.