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Phrygian Tucket (1994) |
amplified harpsichord and tape - 13'
Commissioned by Elizabeth Chojnacka. First performance: January, 1994, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Elizabeth Chojnacka, harpsichordPhrygian Tucket belongs to a series of toccatas for various instruments which I began in 1977 with Paramell I (muted trombone & muted piano) and have occasionally added to over the years with works like Behold a Pale Horse (organ) and Aeolian Furies (accordion). The work is written in the phrygian mode (e to e on the keyboard) and makes use of driving, pulsating rhythmic figures which accelerates to the end of the work. A computer generated tape part initially supplements the harpsichord sound with the feeling of a sustaining pedal but ultimately adds an explosive quality to the harpsichord for the finale. Tucket is the name for a Medieval signal or flourish on trumpets and drums. The work was inspired by Elizabeth Chojnacka's virtuosity not only in fast, brilliant fingerwork, but also her quiet sensitivity in soft passages.
Notes ©1994 Stephen Montague