The Companion Guide to Rome


The Companion Guide to Rome is a composition for string trio by the American composer Andrew Norman. The complete work was first performed on May 30, 2010, by the Scharoun Ensemble at Radialsystem V in Berlin. The composition was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Composition

Structure

The Companion Guide to Rome has a duration of roughly 30 minutes and is composed in nine movements:
  1. Teresa
  2. Benedetto
  3. Susanna
  4. Pietro
  5. Ivo
  6. Clemente
  7. Lorenzo
  8. Cecilia
  9. Sabina
The ninth movement, "Sabina," was originally composed as a standalone piece in 2006 for the Janaki String Trio. It can be performed separately or as part of the complete work.

Inspiration

The title of the work comes from the eponymous 1965 guidebook to Rome by Georgina Masson. The movements thus commemorate nine of Norman's favorite Roman churches mentioned in the text. Norman wrote in the score program note:The inspiration for each movement is as follows:
  1. Teresa: The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
  2. Benedetto: the Cosmatesque floors in San Benedetto in Piscinula
  3. Susanna: a fresco of the Mary in Majesty in the Chiesa di Santa Susanna
  4. Pietro: Donato Bramante's Tempietto
  5. Ivo: Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza
  6. Clemente: Basilica of [San Clemente al Laterano|Basilica di San Clemente]
  7. Lorenzo: a part of the Cosmatesque floor in the Basilica of [Saint Lawrence outside the Walls|Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori la mura]
  8. Cecilia: The statue of St. Cecelia by Stefano Maderno in Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
  9. Sabina: Santa Sabina