Hollow Elegies

Hollow Elegies for Flute, Viola, Guitar and Marimba (2014)

Hollow Elegies was composed as a study of multiple microtonal performance systems: the flute and viola frequently glissando
between pitches, the viola plays in a quarter-tonal (24 tone) language, and the guitar has two strings retuned to sixth-tones (a 36 tone language). The first movement is an almost motionless exploration of microtonal pitch interaction, developing a brief five-note motif introduced in the guitar, and interrupted by short, violent explosions from the ensemble. The second movement deals with the conflict between a violent, impulsive texture (characterized as “Id”) and a more peaceful, static, and consonant texture (the action’s “reward”). Each “Id” section is followed by a reward, but as the reward portion diminishes, the violent half is prolonged, until little reward remains.