This piece of music is for a classical group of musicians - oboe, violin, viola, cello, and piano - basically like a piano quintet (piano and string quartet) only with the oboe taking the place of a violin.  The music is entertaining, great for an encore piece or a demonstration piece for younger folks and general audiences.  Southern Rural Sketches represents a weekend visit to Grandad's farm.  Those who live in the South will really relate to the work.  There are three movements.  The first movement is called Grandad's Farm.  It is a theme and variations....the cute little theme starts the piece, and there are short subsections named which take the theme and play with it, representing things that happen on the farm in a day's time.  In The Cat's Lament, the stringed instruments must slide down the finger board making meow sounds.  The Rooster calls, which starts the day, is taken by the oboe making sinking sounds with the reed in a cockle doodle doo rhythm.  Octave jumps represent the frogs jumping into the pond in The Frog Pond.  Picnic Under The Old Hackberry Tree was inspired by a visit to Tuckahoe Plantation near Richmond where there was a big old unusually shaped hackberry tree, thus, that section is represented by an awkward twisted version of the theme in 7/4 time.  Nightime Blues and The Children's Lullaby end the happy day on the farm.  This movement will be lots of fun to execute and I bet it will bring smiles from your audience.  The second movement is Contradance On Saturday Night.  I was inspired to write this movement after listening to a National Public Radio talk show about the popularity of contradancing in rural areas. Barn dances occur quite often in the South, so I decided to write a contradance in its basic form.  After all, if you are spending the weekend at Grandad's farm, shouldn't the whole family have fun going dancing on Saturday night?  It's a real toe-tapper.  The third movement is The Little Country Church.  On Sunday morning, of course, the family goes to church.  In this movement, I use the early American Hymn "How Firm A Foundation" and give it a Southern Gospel blues twist to end the movement.  You will receive a bound score for the pianist (with enlarged piano part), and individual bound parts for each of the instrumentalists.  This piece of chamber music was a monumental undertaking in composing, editing, and printing...so please allow several days after you order to receive your music.  I print my music as it is ordered.  This piece has 61 printed sheets to it, all in all.  Your music will be signed by me, the composer.  Thank you for looking at my work!  Shipping is $6.50 priority flat rate envelope in the U.S.  Overseas, $18.00.