Mythology Symphony, Movement I : Becoming Medusa - Stacy Garrop (composer) Commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in honor of Elaine Friedman Lebenbom Publisher: Theodore Presser Company 2016 UPC: 680160642885 Spiral bound paperback 11 x 17 inches, 49 pages 21st Century Composition The first movement from Garrop's Mythology Symphony The movement may be played by itself. Duration 13 minutes Instrumentation Flute 1, Flute 2, Piccolo 1, Flute 3, Piccolo 2, Oboe 1, Oboe 2, Oboe 3, Clarinet 1 in Bflat, Clarinet 2 in Bflat, Bass Clarinet in Bflat, Bassoon 1, Bassoon 2, Bassoon 3, Horn 1 in F, Horn 2 in F, Horn 3 in F, Horn 4 in F, Trumpet 1 in C, Trumpet 2 in C, Trumpet 3 in C, Trombone 1, Trombone 2, Bass Trombone, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion 1, 3 Tom-tom, Ratchet (large), Maracas (wooden), Finger Cymbals, Sandpaper Blocks, Triangle, Shaker (egg), Xylophone, Marimba (low A), Percussion 2, Bass Drum, Tenor Drum, 2 Bongos, Wood Block (mounted), Castanets (mounted), Percussion 3, Tam-tam (large), 2 Tom-tom, 2 Brake Drum, Tambourine, 2 Congas, Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Piano, Harp, Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Violoncello Contrabass Most of us are familiar with the legend of Medusa in which she is a hideous Gorgon with scales for skin, snakes for hair, and a gaze that turns to stone anyone who dares to look into her eyes. When we first encounter Medusa, she is usually on a deserted island with her two sisters, and Perseus has arrived to cut off Medusa?s head. But what about Medusa?s origins? With a little research, I unearthed several accounts of her original form. Some stories portray Medusa as being born a horrific creature: ?Gorgones, three celebrated sisters, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, whose names were Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, all immortal except Medusa. According to the mythologists, their hairs were entwined with serpents, their hands were of brass, their wings of the colour of gold, their body was covered with impenetrable scales, and their teeth were as long as the tusks of a wild boar, and they turned to stone all those on whom they fixed their eyes." ---------------------- The first woman composer to earn a degree from the University of Michigan, Elaine Friedman Lebenbom responded to sexism and anti-Semitism by composing works that celebrated Jewish themes and women's experiences.