murmur

percussion quartet: 2 vibraphones
15 minutes
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Program note:
murmur
, one of two movements that comprise my dissertation composition (see fade to light), was composed in the spring of 2015. This quartet is for two vibraphones and features cardboard dowels from coat hangers standing in for more traditional mallets. These dowels create a 'thwack' sound when striking the bars. The result is a blurring of pitch and noise, further explored through the use (or absence) of the pedal. The piece culminates in a chorale using ping pong balls and a bow, the percussiveness throughout now taken to a very delicate extreme. murmur is approximately 15 minutes in duration. The performance above is by Sandbox Percussion, with audio and video by Evan Chapman. Many grateful thanks to them and to the SoSI 2015 murmur crew, Caitlin Cawley, Aaron Grisez, Evan Miller, and Kevin Zetina.