Project 12: You and Me, Filigree

Sometimes I forget just how much sky we can really see from here—until days like this one!

Happy holidays, everyone! I hope all of you are able to enjoy whatever company is available to you safely, and that—no matter where you are and who you’re with—you’ve been able to partake in some delicious food and unwind from this ridiculous year! While I needed to stall a bit on writing a blog post about this particular work (which I’ll get to in just a minute!), I’m so excited to finally be able to share some music from Week 10!

Wrap-Up: You and Me, Filigree

For Week 10, the commissioner asked to remain anonymous. They commissioned a piece as a surprise Christmas gift for their partner and her twin sister, who are both musicians! One plays trumpet, while the other is a percussionist who specializes in marimba. While it was quite unusual for me to write music for musicians I couldn’t directly collaborate with, I welcomed the opportunity to stretch myself a bit and try something new! Having spent a large portion of 2019 writing a trumpet concerto, and a background in percussion, it was also exciting to be writing for two instruments I felt rather comfortable with individually but had never paired together.

Starting the Piece:

From what the commissioner told me, the trumpet player loved long phrases and expressive melodies, and the marimbist really enjoyed grooves and patterns (…which didn’t shock me!). As sisters, they are quite close and share quite a deep bond, but have lived in different cities for the past several years—which has been hard on them both.

While the title for the work came much later (which is very rare for me!), I knew early on I wanted to write a piece that played with both independence and intertwining lines. I also knew I wanted to write something that captured both of their distinct musical preferences, and use those differences to capture the feeling of being apart—then bring them together throughout the course of the piece.

As I began writing, I started hunting around online for what kinds of physical objects encapsulate this kind of relationship—braids, clothes, wreaths, etc. I just happened to stumble on the word “filigree” on the last day I was writing. Filigree is generally silver and/or gold intricately wound together on jewelry, so I thought that was a beautiful way to think of the bond between sisters. Thinking also of the brassy colors the trumpet and the warm, resonant tones of the marimba, it seemed like an appropriate parallel musically as well!

Excerpts:

This week, due to the short duration of this piece, I’ve decided to share the work in its entirety! You can listen to the full MIDI rendering below, and check out the full score in the excerpts below. Happy listening!

While in this opening both the trumpet and marimba parts are lyrical, I hoped to create a contrast between the two parts not just in register, but in character. The piece opens with a simple, lyrical marimba pattern in the lower register—the gesture quickly rises and falls back down within the span of a measure, creating an almost hypnotic atmosphere with its wave-like shape. The trumpet, by contrast, takes several measures to sound even the first part of its melody; I tried to add some interest to this slower line, adorning each part of the opening gesture with either a grace-note, dynamic shaping, or a pitch-bend. As the trumpet rests between parts of its phrase, the marimba wave crests higher on the instrument until settling in a similar register to the trumpet.

Between measures 10 and 14, the trumpet line becomes slightly more complex—incorporating larger leaps and simple ornamentation. This helps to set up the sudden interlocking figure at 16, before the trumpet recalls its earlier pitch-bend and the marimba returns to its pattern—now in a major mode—cresting upwards once more before the short transition into measure 21. In this section also, the trumpet and marimba now swell dynamically together, rather than offset; this allows for them to feel as if they are drawing closer together, even as their material remains different.

The section at measure 21 takes the first two beats of the marimba pattern and turns it into a two-bar phrase; the mode is minor once more, but now the gesture is much more playful and dance-like (and also helps the marimba move to its lowest register over the course of this section). This also creates a 6/8 feel underneath the trumpet melody, creating both a contrast as well as something for the trumpet to play off as it stays in the 3/4 feel. The trumpet now embellishes the marimba material directly, the ornamentation and larger leaps becomes more frequent. The section ends with a climactic high Bb from the trumpet as the marimba comes to a sudden halt, preparing us for the complete change of character at measure 32.

The section at 32 sees a complete change of rhythmic character, though the overall shape of the gesture echoes the earlier sections. The new idea in this section comes from the marimba, sounding two measures of block chords that eventually take over the texture of this section. The trumpet recalls its entrance at m. 25, gradually deconstructing itself into a major-second figure. The figure decresendos as the marimba drifts downwards. This allows the marimba to transition smoothly into the low register rolls coming up in the next section, and the simple major-second figure in the trumpet becomes a natural leaping-off point for the new melodic material that follows as well.

At 52, the marimba sounds thick, rolled chords as the trumpet builds to another climactic arrival. At 57, the marimba introduces a new pattern that catapults upwards, only to gently drift back by the end of the measure. The trumpet enters with staccato figures, playing within the figuration of the marimba before arriving at a major version of its opening melody at 61. The trumpet quickly abandons this opening gesture, however, playing with the marimba figuration for the duration of the section as the lines become more directly intertwined.

At 78, the trumpet and marimba switch roles from the opening. The trumpet plays what sounds like a new melody, only for it to fade into accompanimental material when the marimba enters. The marimba, rolling in the left hand, recalls the opening trumpet melody in the right, now in major. The interlocking figure returns, returning the pitch bend material to the trumpet as it initially appeared. The marimba, however, continues the pattern forward under the pitch bend, rushing the listener forward to an emboldened arrival at 85—leaping off from a sudden upward vault in the marimba. After the initial call from 85 to 88, measures 89 through 95 see a return to the dance-like material in the marimba, now faster and in a major mode.

At 96, the trumpet returns to its opening melody (still adorned with grace-notes, though the pitch-bend was eliminated). The major mode version of this section is cut short by the arrival of the interlocking gesture at 101. The gesture is carried forward by the marimba as both marimba nd trumpet leap upwards. As the trumpet continues its ascent, however, the marimba skitters across the length of the entire instrument, arriving at 105. This last measure sees a final trading gesture, vaulting downwards. The final note lands together on D—the trumpet and marimba finally together.

Wind-Up: Week 11

Later this week, I will be so excited to finally share music from my collaboration with The Merian Ensemble (comprised of musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), which was inspired by female mountaineers! This fun and joyful work is written for flute, oboe, clarinet, viola, and harp.

Happy music-making, everyone!