Audio Compositions
In my latest compositions, I strive to plainly show the interconnectedness of all forms of art
10' for a(n) n
2014
Able to be realized in any artistic medium by any number of performers
Based on John Cage’s work 27' 10.554" for a percussionist from 1956, 10' for a(n) n uses imperfections in handmade paper as graphic notation for the work. Performers are instructed to realize the work in whatever art medium they desire as long as they are able to create a discernible gradient in that medium which covers the height of the page. The width of each page is defined as one minute and the order of the pages and whether to play the front or back of the page is determined before the performance by chance operations.
American Cityscapes
2015-2016
For Percussion Ensemble
I. Nighthawks (Imaginary Cityscape)
Based on the 1942 oil painting by Edward Hopper, the musical material for Nighthawks was derived by converting colors into sound qualities. First, the painting was pixelated into a 12 (number of players) by 21 (number of 15-second cells) grid, and the hue, saturation, and value quantities of each “pixel” were converted to tuning, volume, and tone using self-generated spreadsheet formulas. The order for each sound quality (tuning, volume, and tone) was determined through chance operations, and the contour of the magnitude change for each sound quality was determined based on the contours within the original painting in that cell.
II. Broadway Boogie Woogie (New York Counterpoint)
Based on the 1943 oil painting by Piet Mondrian, the musical material for Broadway Boogie Woogie was derived by following two chance-determined paths throughout the “roads” of the painting. A 1”x1” grid was overlaid on the painting and each individual cell became one beat, defining the rhythm. The four colors of the painting: blue, red, yellow, and white, correspond to the four sounds in the piece: piano (playing the composite cluster of a boogie woogie bass line), ratchet, hi-hat, and police whistle, respectively.
III. Brooklyn Bridge
Based on the 1920 oil painting by Joseph Stella, the musical material for Brooklyn Bridge was derived from the contours of the painting itself. A 4x4 grid was overlaid on the work and each of the cells was further divided into three vertically, one each for the three players. The structure of the bridge is translated into the harmonica part as it crosses into their specified section of the grid. A light gray or white section is translated to an exhale and a dark gray or black section is translated to an inhale. The siren material is derived from the “non-bridge” contours in the painting. All pitch material is the creation of the composer and is not directly derived from the work.
12 Strategies for 1 Century
2016
For Solo Performer
Twelve Strategies for One Century is based on an interdisciplinary exhibition of the works of 20th century artists from the city of Darmstadt, Germany celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Cage. The retrospective, A House Full of Music, “examines the special connections between music and art, paying particular attention to the question of how these two art forms may be exhibited as parallel phenomena”. The twelve diachronic strategies “sum up in a nutshell the artistic-musical activity of the entire twentieth century”. These twelve strategies are reconsidered in this piece as both transformative elements, progressing the piece forward, and referential elements, harkening back to great works of 20th century art from all genres.
My Triumph lasted till the Drums
2016
For Rudimental Drum Set
Based on a poem of Emily Dickinson with the same title, My Triumph lasted till the Drums derives its musical material from the letters of each word in the poem. The 26 letters of the alphabet were numbered in order and matched with the 26 standard drum rudiments as defined by the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD). The start of each word is denoted by the bass drum and cymbal and the start of each line (after the first) is denoted by two strikes of the bass drum and cymbal.
Poems Every Child Should Know
2016
For Baritone with Accompaniment
Poems Every Child Should Know is based on the pre-Gregorian technique of composition: text painting (writing music that reflects the literal meaning of the words of a song); similarly, each song has a thematic tonal concept derived from the text. In Bugle Song (text by Alfred, Lord Tennyson), the majority of the work is written in the acoustic scale (lydian dominant) which is derived from the overtone series, the first scalar set of pitches able to be produced on a bugle. Salient features of the scale are then used to derive non-diatonic tonal material. In The Arrow and the Song (text by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow), the prevalent tonal idea is the interval of a half step, the narrowest Western interval. When focused on the arrow, the half step is most commonly descending through chromatic pitches. When focused on the song, the half step is most commonly ascending, serving as a leading tone-tonic relationship to alter the tonality.
These poems were found in a collection of poems from 1904 edited by Mary E. Burt entitled “Poems Every Child Should Know”.