Traces

for percussion ensemble

1974

10 minutes

Premiere: University of Illinois, April 10, 1974
University of Illinois Percussion Ensemble
Randall Shinn, conductor
Colleen Mulvill, choreographer
Michelle Girardin, Debra Loewen, Bonnie Schmidt, dancers

[Not available for performance]

Composer Notes

Colleen needed music for a modern dance she had partly choreographed. I liked the dancers and the choreography she had done so far, so I agreed to compose something for her. She needed music with a lot of internal activity, but not something with a regular sense of pulse and meter.

I composed a work in a somewhat “minimal” style that used overlapping rhythmic patterns to create the feel of a busy stasis. I greatly enjoyed the dance performances, but I soon realized that I preferred composing music that featured an inherent sense of physical movement.