SOLO WORKS
Ramification
Instrumentation:
For Alex Garde (perc)(11')
Program Note:
(Part III of Triptych) (2021)
Ramificationis the final panel of my Triptych, coming after Negative Capability, for electric guitar, and Whispering lunar incantations, for prepared harp. All three pieces focus on the creation of an idiosyncratic, (relatively) unpitched sound world and emphasize gesture within a developing and evolving structure. Ramification is most concerned with different types of surfaces and branching paths/connections (ramifications) between them. Sometimes materials develop linearly along these paths, while jumping suddenly from one to the next at other times. My hope is that listening occurs on multiple levels of detail for both the performer and audience. Similar types of gestures (dragging vs scratching vs striking) occur on vastly different surfaces (gongs vs floor tom vs wood plank vs guiro vs chimes) with different implements (mallet vs superball vs mallet shaft vs brush vs nails), resulting in a range of drastically different sound qualities at seek to unify themselves, but may not always do so.
Ramificationwas composed for percussionist, Alex Garde, as part of the 2021 Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice.
-HAB