10 Aural Postcards

for cello, french horn, clarinet, vibraphone, and overhead projector

I have been interested with the idea of ‘aural postcards’ for some time now. There are similarities between the expressionists within the art realm and the expressionists in the music realm; in the same way there are similarities between impressionists in both disciplines, and minimalist art and music share many concepts. But what is the aural equivalent of a photograph, or a snapshot, or a postcard? These represent a cross-section of time – a singular moment, lasting anywhere from 1/2000ths of a second to half a second. Obviously no piece of music can technically be played within these time limits. These ten short pieces attempt to portray the same idea; while the period of time in which they are perceived is longer than that of a postcard, perhaps, they are a cross-section of a larger time span of which the listener can only guess their full scope.

I took the New York Miniaturist Ensemble call for scores as a perfect opportunity to create a series of postcards. Each postcard is only 10 notes in length (though repeats add to the literal number of notes played), and with ten postcards the 100-note limit is reached exactly. Upon completion of these miniatures, I realize that some are indeed cross-sections of larger works, and a snapshot has been taken, while others are complete within themselves… perhaps the visual equivalent in these cases is a photograph of a landscape, still-life, or portrait.