Dissolving Music is a 'Rockpiece' for Soprano and Six Instruments based on the poem 'For a Dissolving Music' by W. S. Merwin. The vocal part must be sung in a hard-rock style, requiring the vocal range and musical demands of a trained voice but with a rough quality, using consonants to create sharp attacks while avoiding operatic vibrato and art-song warmth. The drumset instrumentation is freely notated, seeking incisive tightness and a visceral, hard-driven rock beat rather than cool jazz. The soprano generally requires amplification to improve balance and rock vocal style.
