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Upon the Strand

This clarinet concerto has gone through many different incarnations over its entire existence. It originally began as 2 separate pieces. The first movement was originally for solo piano, and consisted only of the last 16 measures. The second movement was a viola and piano duet, but the viola changed to a Clarinet once a string orchestra was decided upon as the background orchestration. The introduction and 3rd movement were written after these other changes had been made, and are used mainly to tie the sonorities from the other portions together and round out the concerto form.

This is based off of the Spenserian sonnet of the same title:

One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washéd it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But cam the tide and made my pains his prey.
Vain man (said she) that dost in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalise;
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wipéd out likewise.
Not so (quod I); let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame;
My verse your virtues rare shall eternise,
And in the heavens write your glorious name:
Where, when as Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.

There are two main themes within the concerto that are used to represent the differing viewpoints on love, fame, and immortality between the two characters in the poem. At the end of the concerto, these two themes are finally reconciled, symbolizing an agreement reached between the two lovers upon this issue.

This piece was composed specifically for the WOU Concerto Competition in 2008, and won with Sarah Truelove as the soloist. She was accompanied by Carolyn Matthews during the audition and by the WOU Orchestra strings during the concert.

Elegy

I wrote this piece for my grandmother who died in 2007. She was born and bore all her children in the Philippines, and then moved to the states when I was very young, so I remember her always being around as I was growing up. As she got older, she moved in with my parents and me while I was in middle school. This piece is scored for a quintet of Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Percussion. It takes place in 6 movements, with each movement being representative of sort of a snapshot or event of my grandma's life.

The first movement and last movement are extremely similar, with the cello's pizzicato and the marimba's note sounding back and forth to represent a heartbeat. These are put at either end of the piece to symbolize the beginning and ending of life.

The various melodies heard throughout, other than in the second movement, are based on an atonal system using various words in Ilocano, the language which I used to communicate with my grandmother in, and English. The second movement is a lullaby that both my grandmother and mother would sing.

The third movement is based on her experience during WWII, when she, her husband, and her eldest child had to flee into the mountains around their home from Japanese soldiers invading the Philippines. They had to survive in the wilderness with others from their village for over a month.

The fourth movement covers her immigration to the United States, where she lived out the rest of her days.

The fifth movement represents a longer period of time, with a lot more intangible themes at work. It is meant to represent all of the years of her life caring for children, and surrounded by her family, as well as the love they felt for her.

Even though I began this piece rather apprehensively in an atonal sonority, I felt pretty emotionally attached to it by the end of the process of composing it.

Love's Secret

This piece is based on a poem by William Blake. The words are:

Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind doth move
Silently, invisibly.

I told my love, I told my love,
I told her all my heart,
Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears.
Ah! She did depart!

Soon after she was gone from me,
A traveler came by,
Silently, invisibly:
He took her with a sigh.

This recording is by the WOU Concert Choir, directed by Solveig Holmquist.

I really wanted the tonality to represent the somber tone and theme of the poem. I also used a bit of text painting in the particularly more moving sections. Also, as the main character in the poem takes over from the narrator, the men’s sections are used to represent that character. The unresolved nature of this piece is meant to invoke the unrest that relationship turmoil can cause one’s mind.

The Silk Clock

This was the first piano solo that I had ever written completely on my own. It’s in ternary form, and the A sections are meant to be played with the unemotional rigidity of a clock, while the B section should feel as smooth as silk. I guess the title isn’t as interesting as you may have thought.