Josephine the Singer

Josephine The Singer takes it's title from Franz Kafka's lastpublished story, "Josephine the Singer or the Mouse People" . This valedictory tale was Kafka's prescient mediation both on musical divas and also what he considered might be the future of the Jews as a persecuted minority in Europe in the 20th century.

The composition is an extended passacaglia on a subject derived from my earlier work Songs of The Mouse People. This subject itself is found to be consistent with the narrow intervals employed in most mouse melodies.

Josephine The Singer was commissioned by the International Max Rostal competition in Berlin as the required solo composition for violin.