Vision of Sound: A Concert of Live Music and Dance 2009 "Eine Kinda Bachmusik, pt.2" from "3 preludes to missing the point" Choreagraphy: Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell Piano: Blaise Bryski Dancers (The Syracuse University South Side Initiative KUUMBA Project): Waniesha Allen, Caroline Charles, Ashley Green, Margaret Moreno, Niquan Williams, Amani Wortham
Patchwork was initially read as a 3-4 minute sketch in fulfillment of requirements for the Contemporary Performance and Composition Course at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Music Studies in Aldeburgh/Snape, Suffolk, England. My assignment there was to write a piece that was practically "sight-readable" (!). Here, in its full version, I have attempted to maintain that standard while leaning toward something a little more challenging for the performers. Like many of my previous works, Patchwork represents my on-going interest in the use of stereotypes (both musical and extra-musical) to generate the material and subject matter of a piece. Here, gestures common to each instrument or instrument family merge into large cohesive wholes. Local variation and development are kept to a minimum so that the individual character of each is immediately recognizable. Formal development occurs through simple reordering of the gestures.
