Sleeves of Green was a commissioned work by the American flutist, Dr. Jessica Raposo, for inclusion in a concert being presented on St. Patrick’s Day.  In keeping with a theme of “green”, she requested a work based on the traditional song “Greensleeves”.  The theme from this work became the seminal material for the creation of Sleeves of Green.  The melody appears in an extremely augmented form but still can be heard subtly in the background while the original modal scale is utilized throughout.  The work begins with the music gradually emerging out of the past and this is followed by a lively and rhythmic interplay of the flute and piano.  Folkloric drones appear in the piano during the middle section which coincide with the thematic presentation of the chorus from Greensleeves.  The verse is presented again which eventually fades as the music returns from whence it came.

Instrumentation:  Flute and Piano

Duration:  5 minutes

Performed by Dr. Jessica Raposo, flute

and Yvonne Gillespie, piano