Cantus (2019)
For Sixteen Players
Duration: 9 minutes
1(dbl afl).1(dbl EH).2(I dbl Ebcl, II dbl bcl + cbcl).0 – 2.0.1.0 – perc(2) – pno.kybd – 1.1.1.1.1
Commissioned by Steven Schick for Palimpsest
First performed by Palimpsest, Steven Schick conducting, January 29, 2020
Cantus is about singing of many kinds. The piece begins with a simple, tuneful melody—first presented by the viola and then in variation by two clarinets—that is then dilated and abstracted into a framework for other, more elaborate types of song: the chirping of alien, mechanical birds; human laments; horn calls, both placid and exuberant. A clarinet and sampled piano tuned approximately one-sixth of a tone below the rest of the ensemble, along with the use of several non-standard pitches on the horns, contribute a special harmonic color to the music. Cantus was written with gratitude and admiration for Rand Steiger, Steven Schick, and the musicians of Palimpsest.