Year composed: 2001
Duration: 10′
Instrumentation: alto saxophone, percussion, piano, contrabass, and tape
Commissioned and premiered by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
Notes:
World a tuning fork is based on two lines from a poem by John Campion: “World a tuning fork/ lift-up-over sounding.” The poem describes a living, canopied world of resonant space in Papua New Guinea. I chose sonorities loosely based on the overtone series of the double bass’ open strings (E, A, D, and G), and used the piano’s sostenuto pedal (the middle pedal) to capture the lowest octave ringing throughout. The musical material alternates between large expressive soliloquies played by the saxophone, and a cyclical set of repetitions played by the entire quartet. The piece is dedicated to John Campion, and the premiere was performed by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Ensemble.