Mars in Retrograde, commissioned by Kat Anderson and dedicated to The Los Angeles Belles, is a 3-part vocalise for SSA and Piano based on planetary motion and gravitational orbits. The voices represent the orbits of the planets (S1 as Venus, S2 as Earth, and Alto as Mars) around the sun, which is represented by the Piano. Each planet (voice) has a distinct repeating rhythmic pattern whose length corresponds to each planet’s sidereal period (how long it takes the planet to fully orbit around the sun). The repeating rhythmic pattern uses the musical technique of isorhythm, where a repeating rhythmic pattern (called the talea) is combined with separate pitch material (called the color). Venus’s sidereal period is roughly .616 Earth years, corresponding to a 7.5 measure talea. Earth’s sidereal period is 1 Earth year, corresponding to a 12 measure talea (based on the 12 months in a year). Mar’s sidereal period is roughly 1.9 Earth years, corresponding to a 22.75 measure talea. The rhythmic activity increases until the mid-point of each talea, after which the rhythmic value decreases again. This represents how planets increase in speed as they approach their closest point to the sun (perihelion) and decrease in speed as they approach the farthest point from the sun (aphelion).
The entire piece is tuned to the fundamental of Bb, as the lowest recorded note in the universe is a black hole that vibrates at a Bb 57 octaves below Middle C. The piece exclusively uses the Bb Lydian Dominant scale, also referred to as the acoustic scale, which can be created by assembling the first 12 partials of the overtone series based on the fundamental of Bb.
Spots and Whiskers is a whimsical solo flute piece inspired by a day in the life of a cat. The piece uses extended flute techniques to mimic cat sounds such as flutter tonguing (purring), multiphonics (insistent meowing), and key clicks (claws on the floor). This piece would be a fun and light-hearted addition to any concert featuring solo flute.
It was premiered on June 2, 2018 by Gerardo Lopez as part of the Sound and Fury Concert Series in Los Angeles, CA.
Lydian Daydream is a whimsical solo cello piece with Lydian and Lydian dominant modal inflections, which are both variations of the major scale. The piece uses extended cello techniques such as pizzicato strumming (imitating a guitar), sul ponticello (playing close to the bridge), and glissandi (sliding between notes). This piece would fit well in any solo or chamber recital featuring cello.
Continue reading Lydian DaydreamEvening Comes is a windband ensemble piece dedicated to Maxwell Judah Leviss. The piece has a wide range of emotions, ranging from childlike to aggressive to poignant. Evening Comes ends with a striking reharmonization of the classic melody “Taps”. This piece would work well for any windband ensemble concert.
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
English Horn
Bassoon
Clarinet in Bb 1
Clarinet in Bb 2
Clarinet in Bb 3
Bass Clarinet
Alto Sax 1
Alto Sax 2
Tenor Sax
Baritone Sax
Trumpet in Bb 1
Trumpet in Bb 2
Trumpet in Bb 3
Trumpet in Bb 4
Trumpet in Bb 5
Horn in F 1
Horn in F 2
Horn in F 3
Horn in F4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Glockenspiel
Xylophone/Triangle
Vibraphone/Suspended Cymbal
Marimba
Snare Drum
Crash Cymbal/Bass Drum
Vapors explores different sounds the cello can produce and evokes the image of airy and vapory visuals. It calls for advanced cello techniques, including extended passages of natural and artificial harmonics. This piece would work well for a string chamber recital or classical chamber concert.
Continue reading VaporsPyramid was inspired by Jennifer Higdon’s 1726, which was named after the address of her school. Similarly this piece is named after the striking blue pyramid of my alma mater, California State University at Long Beach (CSULB). The second movement of Pyramid uses a limited pitch set determined by the German notation of BEACH (Bb E A C B), also an homage to CSULB.
Continue reading Pyramid: I, II, and III