Bark

BARK was commissioned by Sqwonk clarinet duo as part of their 2009-10 touring season. It’s title comes from my using of Bela Bartok’s piano collection, Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm, as ‘seed material’ for the musical processes that happen throughout the piece. The structure is a sort of ‘backwards variations’ in that I do various combinations on the original melody: stretching the rhythm, changing the harmony, etcetera, until near the end. I then actually do a complete ‘clean’ statement of the music taken from Bartok’s work. The result is a bouncy, playful, quizzical piece that has a haunting moment here and there. I hope you enjoy it. Special thanks goes to the American Composers Forum for the funding of this project.