I posted this video on some forums and people have asked me to talk about the piece. I’m going to try to type up some program notes for the piece as soon as I can — But I can say now that the piece was not conceived to be programmatic at all. I definitely have no problem with people finding a program in it, but as with most of my pieces I actually thought of the title once the piece was finished. I think of the title “Obsidian Butterfly” as an image to help draw listeners into the piece — it could be interpreted simply as a butterfly made of the sleek volcanic rock or as the English translation of Itzpapalotl, a grotesque female Aztec warrier goddess. Whichever you prefer .

When Carlin and I performed this piece for her accompanying recital, she wrote some very kind program notes which I’ll share here:

When John first approached me to perform with him his new composition, Obsidian Butterfly, I was quite excited. Most new compositions lack a form or down-to-earth quality that allows the common listener to understand the content. Often, we are left with nothing to grasp onto except for the word, “interesting” or “curious.” I often feel rather discombobulated and confused after listening to most of them, but with John’s previous composition, In Search of Lost Time (for violin, viola, and voice), I distinctly remember being drawn into its world. You shall find just as I did that Obsidian Butterfly will not disappoint the expectation of gripping you from your seat.

Without even hearing the first note, Obsidian Butterfly catches the attention of the audience merely from the curious title. The title can be interpreted as the symbolic representation of the dark, rhythmical, yet sleek atmosphere or to the grotesque Aztec female war goddess. In the beginning, the piano softly lays an atmosphere of expectation with a quiet trill, before the saxophone enters. (The inspiration for the beginning comes from the Sibelius violin concerto where the orchestra begins quietly with a shimmering tremolo before the violin softly enters with a gripping melody.) The open fifths tremolo on B and F sharp (which is also the common tone modulation to a tritone away from the original key) marks the end of the introduction, and the main motif (D-Eflat-D-Eflat-F-Eflat) is announced. Another theme that appears is the “fourth + tritone.” Throughout the composition, these motifs are repeated in various rhythmical patterns and contexts. However, tension cannot be constantly drawn without becoming overbearing, so in the middle, the saxophone cadenza builds up and momentarily releases the excitement, transitioning into a piano interlude. Tension is quickly rebuilt into a frenzy, and both themes are revisited. With the “fourth + tritone” the piece climaxes with a flourish.

Although John claims that the piece took too long to write, we are all pleased nevertheless with the results of the catchy, crafty creation. It was a great and enjoyable experience working with him, so with this final sentence, I would like to thank him once more for his creation and allowing me to work with him.

Interestingly, 108 wpm is 585 characters per minute which is pretty close to the roughly 645 notes I can play on saxophone in a minute (in chromatic scales).

This comes to about 10.75 notes per second which doesn’t seem like much next to the 1,000,000,000,000,000 operations (at least) that the human brain performs every second. My brain, however, has 1,000,000,000,000 neurons over my ten fingers.

108 words

Speed test

Already the crowds seem darker and more hurried
and the slang grows stranger and stranger,
and you do not understand what you love, yet here, rounding a corner in mild sunset,
is the world again, wide-eyed as a child
holding up a toy even you can fix.

–James Richardson (from “End of Summer”)

Let Parmesan goldfish float for five seconds in a hot cup of tea flavored with rind of oranges and sweet spice. Eat immediately.
This is a strangely satisfying snack… Oh happy accident

An anomaly on the beach, but still a photo opportunity..

Tree going into the ocean

Palm shadow

This is the point on the island where sandy beaches transition to mangrove swamps.

Crab spider

The water was beautiful and warm

more shells

These are some of the shells I picked up.

It opens with a pleasant little fugue in 4/4 time. After a short episode the main subject is played again but with a beat missing (now in 3/4). This launches straight into another statement of the theme with a further beat missing, (now in 2/4) which pushes into a final section which condenses the material even further into triplets. This triplet material grows more devious as the piece continues, interrupting and confusing the main material, eventually dismantling the fugue altogether.

You can listen to the MIDI, and the TALKY Quintet will be playing this movement only in their final concert on Sunday, April 27 at 7:30pm in Recital Hall (in Merril Hall).