Judith Lang Zaimont (b. 1945) is an American composer, performer, and educator. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she spent her formative years in New York City. The greatest part of her musical training took place there, first in the form of piano lessons with her mother, and later through degrees from Queens College and Columbia University. She had a remarkable career before even leaving for college, though, appearing on “The Lawrence Welk Show” at age 11 and winning her first composition prize at age 12. Such accolades have continued to accumulate throughout her professional life, which has included major teaching posts at Queens College, Peabody Conservatory, Adelphi University, and the University of Minnesota, from which she retired in 2005. Between commissions and teaching assignments, Zaimont has been a forceful advocate for female composers. Many more particulars of her astounding biography are available on her website.
City Rain was commissioned in 2002 by the American Composers Forum for their BandQuest series. The score begins with a quote:
When rain falls in the city,
even it moves to that catchy, swaying, syncopated “city beat.”
and then includes the following program note:
In City Rain, Judith Zaimont captures the spirit and vitality of a summer shower as it falls on a busy city street. Written as a miniature tone poem, the music draws a lively picture of a passing rainstorm. Rain drops dance on the sizzling pavement, metal awnings, and surprised pedestrians who run to safety. The piece continuously unfolds, unified by the jazz-like rhythmic motive based on the syncopated pattern of the title words “city rain” (sixteenth, eighth, sixteenth notes).
A tone poem is program music that creates stories or pictures through sound. In City Rain, the composer paints the image of the rain through the rhythmic motive, and the use of body percussion and alternative instruments (such as tapping patterns on band members’ music stands). As the music unfolds, each section of the band is spotlighted at different times in the piece. The instruments also join together to produce layers of sound that create interesting and complex jazz chords.
The music begins with a gentle shower based in the “ci-ty rain” motive. The rain gathers momentum and becomes a storm. Zaimont develops this image through call and response patterns, increased intensity in the music, variations on the original theme, hemiola sections where patterns in two are played against patterns in three, and musical lightning. The storm continues until a new them in 3/4 announces that the sun is breaking through again. The musical storm decreases, ending with a few final drops. The city returns to work refreshed by the welcome interruption of City Rain.
Watch the score as you listen to the recording:
Read more about the piece at Zaimont’s website, J. W. Pepper, Hal Leonard, and the American Composers Forum. In addition to her website, Zaimont is profiled at Wikipedia, Subito Music, the Milken Archive of Jewish Music, and the Hildegard Publishing Company.
Thanks for this post about Judith Zaimont’s “City Rain”! I was looking for discussions of her work for larger ensembles after writing a post about an album of her chamber music. (https://soundtrove.blog/2019/03/22/piano-music-for-wizards-and-misbehaving-children-judith-lang-zaimont/) Zaimont seems to be referencing various pieces of American inheritance here: “City Rain” makes me think of “Singing in the Rain,” which makes me think of Gene Kelly. . .Zaimont’s piece seems to reference “I Got Rhythm,” which Gene Kelly sings in “An American in Paris,” etc. Thanks again!