I. Lullaby (2013 – 2014) – for wind ensemble (15′)
-This work comes from a soon to be finished set of two pieces, Two Songs for the End of the World, and is based on a theme by Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack and A Problem Like Maria. The next movement will be entitled Starting Tonight and is scored for wind ensemble and SATB choir.
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Preface to Lullaby
–This piece for wind ensemble is a lullaby of sorts. After the loud and raucous opening, there are to be no sustained loud sounds. Loud sounds may occur, but only very briefly; it is a lullaby after all. In this way, the piece is set up as a series of dichotomies. Various sections throughout the piece work their way up to large climaxes; however, these climaxes are never achieved. The ensemble grows and swells, bigger and bigger, fuller and fuller, and just when it seems we are reaching the goal, the piece shifts; the work sets up arrival points and bypasses them, thus playing with the audience’s expectations for the entirety of the performance. Near the end of the work, two chord qualities fight for dominance as the ensemble splits into two chord-groups, and after seesawing back and forth between the two, one comes out as the victor. Loud moments come from nowhere, as do quiet ones, sections grow to swell only to never make it to the finish, and after this swaying back and forth between the two chords at the end of the work, whenever the ensemble is finally allowed to grow past mf, the entire ensemble chokes and the work comes to a close.
Noise is also a very important aspect in the work. Different shades, pitches, and timbres of noise. These shades of noise wax and wane as the work progresses, and with the precise, antiphonal, percussion setup, the noise should be constantly shifting and flowing throughout the ensemble. The percussion should be as spaced out as possible to maximize this antiphonal effect. The noise acts as a bed that the rest of the ensemble rests on throughout the work. This noise is even played by the non-percussion players in the ensemble, using their hands or feet to create semi-percussive noise. In this way, the noise and the melodic/harmonic content slowly become more and more equal as the work continues. Noise becomes a type of melody in the piece.