Browse Items · COMPEL Omeka Dev

Monochrome Variations

Spectral work that uses color notation to indicate gradual shifts in timbre.

Commissioned by cellist Craig Hultgren, this work takes on the idea of developing simultaneously two separate pieces juxtaposed side by side. The two disparate pieces (one dealing with high, fast microtonal passages; the other dealing with slow timbral transitions) are unified by similar pitch materials based around a C- fundamental harmonic series that transforms into an E-fundamental harmonic series). Electronics are used to twist and transform the timbral shadings that occur in both compositional streams. A notational system of colored lines is used to indicate specific elements of timbre control throughout the score.

Hallelujah

Armor+2

a piece inspired by classic synthesis techniques and RPG games

In Armor+2, the interactive computer part acts as an extension of the clarinet. it adds harmony, extends melodic phrase, and creates rhythmic accompaniment that are difficult/impossible for a human accompaniment. The computer part’s role is similar to that of a rare enchanted item in a role-playing game.

Bought and Sold

Exploration of how context affects the listener's reception of music through contextual manipulation of a famous musical example.

Spring Tides

Spring Tides, scored for amplified Pierrot Ensemble (fl, cl, vln, vc, pno) was called '...a rich and evocation of the power of nature..." by the New York Times

Spring Tides, scored for amplified Pierrot Ensemble (fl, cl, vln, vc, pno) and interactive electronics, was inspired by the pull of the moon and sun on the flow of the tides, highest when the moon and sun are directly lined up with the earth. The very highest, or spring tides, occur when the moon is either full or new, and the gravitational pull of moon and the sun are combined. In Spring Tides this process animates the pull between acoustic and electronic sound, between controlled improvisation and exactly specified elements, between slow and surging motion, and between shifting fields of timbre and pitch. Spring Tides was commissioned by and is dedicated to Da Capo Chamber Players.

Cherry Blossom and a Wrapped Thing; After Hokusai

Inspired by a subtle print by Hokusai, this piece was commissioned by F. Gerard Errante, for his CD 'Delicate Balance.'

Cherry Blossom and a Wrapped Thing: After Hokusai was inspired by a print of the same name by the extraordinary Japanese printmaker known as Hokusai (1760 – 1849). I encountered it in a sumptuous collection of his prints in Tokyo and was immediately struck by the subtle mystery of both its subject matter and execution. The cherry blossom speaks of the beauty and brevity of life; the wrapped thing of its ineffability. My compositional response is scored for amplified clarinet and multichannel audio. The electronics were made from cuttings of a previous piece commissioned by clarinetist F. Gerard Errante, to whom the piece is dedicated. They have been transformed into an entirely different form and take root in new ways, wrapping around the performer and audience, sometimes drifting to earth, sometimes floating above. The sound processing and multi-channel audio path were designed using RTcmix. F. Gerard Errante commissioned the piece for his Delicate Balance CD, available on Aucourant Records. –JS

Penelope's Song

Penelope's Song, inspired by the Odyssey, dramatically combines electronics fashioned from recordings of wood looms with the agile power of the flute.

Penelope’s Song was inspired by Homer’s epic, the Odyssey, the story of the travails of Odysseus, who was away from home for twenty years, first at war in Troy and then, due to the sea-god Poseidon’s wrath, for ten more difficult years. It also tells of his wife, Penelope, Queen of Ithaca, waiting for him, and of the many suitors, filled with greed and arrogance, who tried to woo her so they could become king. To stave them off she devised excuses. In one, she said she would take no suitor until she finished her weaving. But, since she unraveled at night what she wove by day, she made no progress. This piece is a tribute to her, and sings of her own adventures. The electronics were created from recordings of wooden looms. I processed and shaped these, weaving a new sonic fabric. This version of Penelope’s Song was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, Lindsey Goodman. The original was composed for viola, and there are now also versions for violin, cello, clarinet, recorded by clarinetist Andrea Cheeseman; and soprano sax, recorded by Susan Fancher.

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