“process”

i wrote this piece when i was in college. i was going through a lot of changes in my artistic style; i felt like i was finally learning from my influences. it was daunting, though. i was in a class full of brainiac grad students and here i was: a wannabe composer who felt like he was posing more than anything. our final project was to write for a string quartet that was going to perform for us in a small recital. everyone chose to do something horribly experimental or otherwise academic to the point of obscurity. not to say it wasn't interesting, but i was kind of at a loss. i decided I wanted to step out of my own comfort zone, but in a way that wasn't as daring as the rest. i had been reading a book about Arnold Schoenberg and his ventures in atonality. his theory of liberating notes from any sort of established harmonic structure really struck me as wildly inventive...for the early 1900s. still, i was in awe by his ideas of serialism and went on to develop my own 12-tone matrix and base my first two movements on it. the first movement is a heavy, exhausted awakening; growing with a seemingly aimless target. the second movement becomes more playful, but still maintains a hint of mischief. i likened it to a frantic game of hide and seek between each of the instruments. the last movement (my favorite) is a tonal embrace: a cleanse and rebirth. it explores a much more emotional and accepting tone. the density of the first movement is finally contrasted and relieved by the lightness of this finale. this part really feels indicative of the sounds i will come to appreciate and replicate in my later works. please enjoy!

@zade_d