Quill
Quill
Barred Owl
Northern Cardinal
American Robin
Loon
Tui
oboe, cello, piano
composed 2021
Composer’s Note
Chamber work based on the bird calls of five different birds. I experimented with using the original bird call (pitches and rhythm), developing it further through various techniques, and mashing it up with my own melodies (some techniques of note below):
“Barred Owl”: pitch modification (rhythm the same), augmentation, hemiola, counterpoint
“Northern Cardinal”: pitch modification (rhythm the same)
“American Robin”: both pitch and rhythm modification, variations
“Loon”: pitch modification, featuring cadenzas for both oboe and cello, canon
“Tui”: pitch modification, counterpoint
I’ve always loved listening to birds and wanted to incorporate them into my compositions. This piece was written as the term long project for my MUS 21 Melody and Rhythm class at Dartmouth College, taught by Professor Rowland Moseley. The instrumentation was chosen simply because oboe and cello were my favorite instruments at the time, and I believed their timbres would blend and spark well together.
A few of my friends were able to help record the entire piece — Nathaniel Chen (oboe), Aidan Lee (cello), and yours truly for piano.
Score video audio is computer generated. Check out my youtube channel for video of our recording session, or streaming platforms to hear the live recording.
