STAGGER (2020) for solo marimba
Instrumentation: Marimba
Duration: ~3’15”
Performance/Recording History:
Recorded by Garrett Arney of arx duo in August 2020, premiered at the Curtis Young Artist Summer Program Young Composers Recital on 8/29/20
Awards:
Selected as the winner of the 2020-21 Michigan Music Teachers National Association Composition Competition in the Senior division
Awarded honorable mention in the 2020-21 East Central Region Music Teachers National Association Composition Competition in the Senior division
Selected for 2nd Place in the 2021 Michigan National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) Junior Composers Contest in Class IV
Selected as a finalist in the Penn State 2021 Young Composers Contest
Program Notes:
Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. In simpler terms, bipedalism is the act of moving on land by using two rear limbs. The innovation of bipedalism in humans is an evolutionary feat that, at first glance, seems entirely unlikely and inefficient. By nature, bipedalism is clumsy, slow, and awkward, and is almost comically unstable and prone to falls and injuries, in contrast to the more conventional quadrupedalism. Nevertheless, bipedalism has allowed the human species to reach a population of over 7 billion, and has permitted us to assume a position of primacy over all other life forms on the planet. So, the question has to be asked - why did humans transition to bipedalism along our evolutionary tract, and why is such an improbable and unnatural method so effective? Possible explanations include that it allowed humans to see over the long grasses on the savannah of Africa, to reach fruit hanging from trees, to allow us to have 2 free limbs at all times to allow for tool-fashioning and hunting and gathering, or even to keep us cool! Whatever you believe the most logical explanation is, bipedalism enabled anything to be possible along our evolutionary path. Even so, bipedalism in humans is far from being perfect - we are slow, clumsy and awkward, suffer unendingly from severe back pain and hernias, and are very prone to injuries and falls. Perhaps this is what intrigues me most about bipedalism: despite it being an inefficient, awkward, and unpredictable method of motion, it works.
Stagger was written for the 2020 Curtis Young Artist Summer Program (YASP). Thank you SO much to all of the incredible faculty, and amazing fellow young composers at YASP, and to Garrett Arney for producing a stellar recording in an insanely short period of time!
Virtually premiered 8/29/20 at the Curtis YASP Young Composers Recital. To hear the recital and the amazing new pieces created by my fellow young composers, click here.