F7B09A76-B959-44F5-B9F5-9DD5811429CC
| ID | F7B09A76-B959-44F5-B9F5-9DD5811429CC |
|---|---|
| Titlecode | R01420 |
| Title Name | Test of Time |
| Marketing Copy | In order to appropriately describe the piece, the two nouns in the title of "Test of Time" should both be plural. There are a variety of ways of perceiving time that are challenged in the course of the piece. Work for mixed ensemble of 18 players. Composed for and premiered by the Indiana University New Music Ensemble. |
| Instrumentation | Flute, (d Piccolo), Oboe (d English Horn), Bb Clarinet, Eb Alto Saxophone, Bassoon, Horn in F, Trumpet in C, Trombone, Tuba, 2 Percussionists, Harp, Piano (d Celesta), 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, Contrabass |
| Commission | (not set) |
| Dedication | Composed for the Indiana University New Music Ensemble |
| Program Notes | In order to appropriately describe the piece, the two nouns in the title of “Test of Time” should both be plural. Not only are there all kinds of tests, but there are also a variety of ways of perceiving time that are challenged in the course of the piece. How long can rhythmic groove retain its momentum against interruptions and juxtapositions? How do beats and syncopations change their syntax when shifted or superimposed? How can micro-second subdivisions of a beat be re-configured into unpredictable patterns that can still be felt as rhythmically tight? When musical events are frozen and cut-and-pasted out of context, are they perceived as existing independently in their own non-directional time-world? Can the four-phrase tune of the solo tuba prologue pass the test of time and be recognized when it reappears ten minutes later? Can the metrical implications of this tune still be appreciated when it is played by the brass in a free-sounding rhythm superimposed over a driving 9/16 torrent in the rest of the ensemble? When — at the end of the piece (spoiler alert!) — the tune is played by solo flute over a tapestry of bells, will the listener recognize on some intuitive level that the notes of each phrase are played backwards although the ordering of the phrases is forward? I have for a long time considered the one-on-a-part (two violins) chamber sinfonietta to be nature's perfect musical ensemble. No other ensemble could provide at the same time the timbral variety and turn-on-a-dime agility needed to execute a piece like “Test of Time.” I've included tuba and alto saxophone, instruments too often neglected in this medium. I have also avoided using standard percussion instruments, replacing bass drum and tom-toms with log drums, the surdo (Brazilian carnival drum), and the cajon (Afro-Peruvian wood box drum), and writing for almglocken (tuned cowbells) and singing bowls in place of marimba and vibraphone. From the beginning of the tuba prologue to the final wa-wa decay of the spring drum around fifteen minutes will have expired in the outside world. I hope that those of us inside “Test of Time” will have experienced a universe of time dimensions totally apart from that. Test of Time was composed for the Indiana University New Music Ensemble, and premiered December 3, 20009. |
| Title Brand | 2 |
| Year Composed | 2009 |
| Copyright Number | (not set) |
| Copyright Year | (not set) |
| Duration | 14 |
| Ensemble Size | 12 |
| Date Created | 2010-02-19 20:31:29.000000 |
| Date Updated | 2025-09-30 20:31:29 |
| Inhouse Note | (not set) |
| Bsc Code | (not set) |
| Text Author | (not set) |
| Premier Performance Memo | World Premiere. Indiana University New Music Ensemble, 3 Dec 2009. |
| Recording Credits | (not set) |
| Review | (not set) |
| Awards | (not set) |
| Title Category | 2 |
| Title Movements | (not set) |
| Title Grade | (not set) |
| Set Series ID | (not set) |
| Title Instrument Category Text | Large Chamber Ensemble |
| Title Sub Category Text | (not set) |
| Title Sub Category | -1 |
| Title Instrument Header | 25 |
| Title Grade Text | (not set) |
| Clean Url | test-of-time-r01420 |