Loose Canons

Matt Wasson

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Wind Ensemble

2024

10 min.

Program Notes: Loose Canons was initially composed in 2016 for horn octet. Another piece I had been writing at the time got me thinking about instruments as pieces of machinery - as complete machines themselves and as components of a larger whole, namely an ensemble. Cannons are pieces of machinery designed to launch an object in a specific direction, often for destructive purposes. In the context of this piece, however, sound is the projectile in question. Idiomatically, a "loose cannon" is someone whose behavior is uncontrollable or unpredictable. As a horn player, I've spent many frustrating hours contemplating the apparent futility of attempting to bend such an unwieldy piece of metal to my will. This piece sets out to describe (in musical terms) the feeling of unease that can come with operating an unpredictable machine, and perhaps even some of the triumph that comes with doing so successfully. Unable to resist the pun, I've structured this piece as a series of canons; all based on the same material and "loosely" assembled together in contrasting scenarios. Often, the players are assigned musical material in pairs, playing the same music at the same time, but at different pitch levels. The music unfolds in a traditional fast-slow-fast structure, albeit in a way that aims to keep the listener guessing until the end.
Recording Notes: Dorico playback with NotePerformer