Machinations II

MACHINATIONS II is the second in the Machinations series of pieces I am writing. Each piece in this series utilizes about three to five small motives and exploits them to their fullest possible potential without adding new materials, making a cohesive work out of small parts. In essence, these small ideas work as the cogs in a machine with one another, moving from section to section and emphasizing the developmental process in composition. Originally conceived of as a piece titled Nesting Dolls, where motifs would emerge from one another like smaller nesting dolls emerging from opening a larger one, I pivoted back to the Machinations series when I continued composing the piece and found the motifs were in sequence rather than emerging from one another. Machinations II utilizes the following small ideas: an accompaniment in hocket (notes are shared among instruments to form one single line), an ascending eighth and sixteenth note figure, a short major-chord melody, and a quartal (chord in fourths) alternating figure. This quartet piece is the second in the series. The first Machinations, titled Machinations I, was written for, premiered by, and recorded for album release by Boston-based mixed chamber ensemble Some Assembly Required and comprises a quartet of clarinet, horn, trombone, and piano. Machinations I can be heard on the debut album for Some Assembly Required, released by Odd Pop Records. More in the series will hopefully be composed in the future.