Composition

Notes

In the last several years I have been preoccupied with how rhythms combine, and how their combinations are perceived. The composite of two simple rhythms can be perceived as something quite complex, and extended syncopation can be perceived as multiple tempi. Cross-Currents was written for the Elgart-Yates Duo and makes much use of their technical prowess in playing with these rhythmic ideas. The first movement, "Alternating," consists of nearly constant hockets and snappy cross rhythms. The second, "Interlude," is slow, sonorous, and bluesy. The last, "Undulating," plays with multiple tempi and ranges from non-tonal sharp dissonance to diatonic equipoise.