Abiding Shapes (2012)

for flute, violin, cello, and percussion. Commissioned by Cadillac Moon Ensemble. 11'

Program Note

Ever since I learned about simple sound waves, I have felt an irra­tional affec­tion for those atomic shapes from which all sorts of complex electronic sounds are made. I wrote Abiding Shapes as a little pageant about these ubiquitous forms, with movements for sawtooth, sine, and square waves. I embroidered tiny dynamic ramps, triangles, sines, and squares (loud-to-silent, soft-loud-soft, etc.) into bigger ones to illustrate these shapes at every level.