Play

PLAY is a piano - marimba duo piece commissioned by pianist Teresa McCollough. In it, I decided to build on ideas that I use in teaching composition to children. One of the things I do with my students is have them make up music by creating words using the seven letters of the music alphabet. For PLAY, I decided to do this game myself. The structure is a double variation, with the basis of each variation coming from motives I created using the notes A - G. For instance, the first theme’s marimba part is built on the word “C_A_B_B_A_G_E”. Similarly, the piano’s chords in the second theme come from the words “B_E_D_” and “E_D_G_E”. From this material the variations evolve, with the ‘words’ dispersing into new statements of the original music. Knowing Teresa’s love of reading and playing games with her daughter, Emma, I felt this would be a fitting way to create a piece that reflects both her intellectual appetite and her sense of fun. Special thanks goes to Luanne Warner, Peggy Benkester, and Tom Burritt for their willingness to ‘play’ along with my musical imagination!

For Piano and Marimba
Commissioned by Teresa McCollough and Santa Clara University;
Premiered April, 2003 - San Francisco, CA

Approx. Duration: 6'30"