Program Notes
What’s in a name? According to Shakespeare, not much. We can certainly agree that the connotation of a rose is pretty strong. We can even all agree that it smells sweet. However, if you ask five people very specific questions about the roses in their minds, you would receive 5 specific, but different answers. I think about this every time I name a piece of music. If something as real as a rose has not much in its name, then how could something as abstract as music have anything concrete to say at all? To me, the beauty of music is this abstraction. As the 1830 edition of the Encyclopedia Americana puts it, music “is that art alone which strives to affect the soul by tones.” I wonder then, why should the name of a piece of music muddy the interpretation by postulating character or narrative?
So what’s in the name? Composition No. 0136 is named for the use of the (0136) tetrachord, which is a common feature throughout the piece, but certainly not the only such collection utilized. Instead of burdening you with my own interpretation, a title alluding to some grand narrative, or a lengthy description of its banal inspiration; I would like you just to listen and let your mind come up with its own explanation for the purpose of this piece. Whether you find humor or horror, I hope it disgusts or delights you (whatever that means). The beauty, as with all music, is that your perception is different, unique, and precious. All that I ask is that you consider looking inward, where you might ponder how your own soul is affected by these tones.
Instrumentation
- Piccolo
- 2 Flutes
- 2 Oboes
- English Horn
- 2 Clarinets in Bb
- Bass Clarinet
- 2 Bassoons
- Contrabassoon
- 4 Horns (mutes)
- 2 Trumpets (straight mute, harmon mute)
- 2 Trombones (straight mute, harmonic mute)
- Bass Trombone (straight mute)
- Tuba
- Percussion 1 (Xylophone, Vibraphone)
- Percussion 2 (Suspended Cymbal, 2 Woodblocks, Snare Drum, 4 Tom-Toms, Tam-Tam)
- Percussion 3 (Triangle, China Cymbal, Bass Drum)
- Piano
- Strings
Notes
Composition No. 0136 was awarded and subsequently completed with a 2025 ARTZenter Emerging Composer Completion Grant. It was then expanded into a version for full orchestra and premiered on Friday, February 27th, 2026 at Bovard Auditorium at the University of Southern California by the Donald Crockett and the USC Thornton Symphony.