duration for full collection: approx. 60 min
works in collection:

1. Canon No. 2

2. After Picforth

3. Lyra

4. Trill

5. Drone (Interludes)

6. Roll

7. Canon No. 3

8. Hammer and Pull

(some individual movements also available for purchase)

For over two centuries, composers had largely ceased writing for the viola da gamba, or viol, making Through Lines a singular effort—a modern take on a historical instrument. As NPR noted, “[Herron] thinks deeply about motion, energy, and the physics of sound,” and on Through Lines, her thoughtfulness is on full display. “Each piece focuses on a different ‘found’ element,” says Herron. “A form, a gesture, a tuning, an articulation, or an aspect of physicality. The viol’s historical repertoire deeply influences this music.”

Born from a collaboration with Science Ficta (viola da gamba players Loren Ludwig, Zoe Weiss, and Kivie Cahn-Lipman), Through Lines was conceived at a 2016 Avaloch Farm Music Institute residency in Herron’s native New Hampshire. The collection’s seven original works (and four interludes) complement one another perfectly—whether played chronologically, individually, or reordered altogether, there is a fundamental through line to Through Lines.