HOMMAGE Á NANCARROW

-for electronic tape
-composed and realized at Nazareth College EMS, August 1992
-revised in Spring 1994, Ithaca NY
-first public presentation at “Wayfarers of Nazareth” Concert, 1993
-second public presentation at graduate comp recital, Ithaca College, 1994
-third public presentation at “In Your Ear” Festival, Rochester NY, 1995
-new realization presented at UMKC, 13 October 2003

Hommage á Nancarrow for electronic tape

Hommage á Nancarrow was composed in the spring of 1992, with substantial revisions and expansions made over the summer and fall of 1993. For years I have been fascinated and delighted by the music of Conlon Nancarrow and composed this piece in response to that pleasure. For those unfamiliar with this composer, Nancarrow (1912-1997) was an American who lived in Mexico City since the early 1950s. His primary means of expression for many years was composing music for player pianos. His music is characterized by exuberant, witty and complex gestures housed in tightly-wrought formal plans. Most of his pieces are unplayable by human performers because of the speed, density and rhythmic complexity of the material. (This statement has been partially refuted by recent astonishing performances by the Bugallo/Williams Duo and others.) My piece uses a much wider array of colors than does Nancarrow in his studies, but orchestral arrangements and electronic realizations of his studies received enthusiastic approval from the composer. Besides paying homage to Nancarrow’s music, the present work also owes much to the influence of György Ligeti and Steve Reich. This recording is the newer realization that I made for a concert at UMKC.