Hand Bones

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Solo

2022

Electronics

Harpsichord

Program Notes: When I was commissioned to write a piece for solo harpsichord, I was both excited and overwhelmed by the vast historical contexts associated with an instrument more than a few centuries old. Rather than choose only one of those contexts to engage with, I challenged myself to engage with all of them at once. The resulting piece is a four movement work where each movement is an etude that deals with a different performance and compositional technique, recalling the harpsichord's role as a pedagogical instrument. The piece also incorporates electronics derived from the manipulated voice of a friend reading a poem. The inclusion of this voice throughout the work evokes the harpsichord's capacity as an accompaniment for recitative in opera. Finally, each movement also becomes progessively more virtuosic, harkening back to the many concerti written for the instrument. This is how I thought of the title, Hand Bones, which points to the physicality and endurance required by the performer, for this piece, as well as thousands of virtuosic pieces written for harpsichordists throughout history.
Performer Credits: Aresniy Gusev