for 2 Percussionists and Pianist - 8”

commissioned by Yarn/Wire Summer Institute 2017

The title for this piece, “what/is/what/was” comes from my fascination with language, and how to abstract it to meet your artistic needs. There is a cyclical quality to the title, both by repeating the word “what” and then moving further along a timeline by using “is” and “was.” The use of the forward-slash is meant to disrupt the usual pattern of interpreting language, and it’s there to make the reader think about the division and relationship the words have, both to themselves and when used in context together. This idea of reoccurrence is the basis for the structure of the piece, in that it’s built off the structure of an ocean wave. It starts with the sound of the ocean drum, and then slowly builds, until the biting white noise of the cymbal, the left hand of the piano, and the ocean drum are all at once roaring on-stage, where it then returns to the sound of the ocean drum, and the sonorities of the beginning moments.