Bohemian Flats

Bohemian Flats
(written and performed by Reynold D. Philipsek)

Bohemian Flats, also known as Little Bohemia, was the informal name given a residential area of Minneapolis in the late 19th century. The area was the low lying river terrace on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

The area was named “Bohemian Flats” because of a high percentage of eastern European residents such as Slovaks, Czechs (Bohemians), and Poles. Naturally, since I have both Czech and Polish heritage, this fact interested me. The area became extinct in the early 1960’s, and is now a park.

This piece is one which I will revive for both trios (East Side and Sidewalk Cafe) for our summer gigs. I am very fond of this music. It derives it’s uniqueness in my canon from the contrapuntal interplay of the three voices. The arpeggiated chords, the sparse melody, and active bass line create a rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic counterpoint that is an area I want to pursue more actively going forward.

Click here to listen to the song: https://www.reynold.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bohemian-Flats.mp3