I keep a note on my phone where I write down particularly interesting phrases I hear, anything that tickles my ear and makes me think “that could be the name of a piece.” I very rarely get the chance to use anything from that list, though, since they tend to be on the absurd side (think “Rodeo Clown Fiesta”).
When I got a commission to write for harp and double bass, and decided to write a collection of short, strange little pieces, I was finally able to use some of those delightful phrases I’d been saving up, and Strange Dances was born. The titles are bizarre and evocative, just like the music itself; maybe there are hidden patterns and meanings to suss out, or maybe it’s pure silliness.
1. Always Leaving Soon
2. Cosmic Ray Bit-Flip
3. Still Life with Fax Machine
4. Kimchi Catastrophe
Floaty, adrift (rubato) ( = 68)
Harp
Violoncello