This work was requested by the percussionist Bill Solomon, who took part in the premiere of objects. I had very few ideas for some time, but had been playing around with several 12-tone rows as a sort of perverse fun. The two rows had some interesting properties, in that they contain inverted sequences. In a sense, each row was canonical in its own right. But at the same time, I have no interest anymore in composing 12-tone music, having given it up after writing ineffabilities in the early 1980′s. But still, these rows intrigued me, and after toying around with several possibilities for scoring, decided to write a double canon for six marimbas that would make use of these rows but also maintain my current approach to writing music.
For the most part, I compose through improvisation, which is somewhat antithetical to composing canons or any other serial music. Perhaps as a reflection of this conflict, towards the end the canonical aspect of the piece goes by the wayside. Also, because I was in a bit of a sarcastic mood when I neared the end of the piece, I finished with a series of tonal chords (in C) that are interrupted by a 12-note chord. I had a lot of doubts when writing this piece, since it wasn’t an intuitive work and writing using a strict technique isn’t something I have chosen to do for many years. This avoidance of “technique” was intentional, although serial processes have crept into my work from time to time.The work may be performed using six marimbas(any set of identical metallophones would work), but can also be performed using prerecorded tape for marimbas 2-6 (marimba 1 would be live).
I’ve posted two different versions of the score. One is optimized (empty scores are removed), while the other also has the advantage of having repeats indicated rather than being written out. The latter requires fewer pages and also is easier from a performance perspective in that the performer is less likely to get lost. There is also the original score that has six staves throughout, but I have not posted it since it doesn’t really serve much purpose. bs piece was premiered on 8/6/09 at the Hartt School of Music by Mike Lunoe and Bill Solomon playing live along with a prerecording of the other four marimba parts.