A Sound Soul in a Sound Body

for amplified harpsichord and percussion quartet

Length: ca. 12'

Required percussion: Medium triangle, cowbell, vibraslap, crash cymbals, 2 wood blocks (high and low), snare drum, kick drum, bass drum, glockenspiel, vibraphone, 5-octave marimba
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Availability: PDFs available for purchase; orders processed in 1–2 business days.
Program Note
I composed A Sound Soul in a Sound Body for Robert Fleitz during the summer of 2015. The harpsichord has a very distinct legacy and body of repertoire, and I wanted to allude to its history through the use of idiomatic textures and figures. Personally, however, the harpsichord's sound also reminds me of old, 8-bit video game soundtracks, and I couldn’t ignore this whimsical association.

Many different characters and musical influences come and go throughout the work’s duration, all united by fairly consistent colors and timbres. A Sound Soul in a Sound Body isn’t programmatic in any strict sense, but I imagine that the different and often contrasting personalities could represent the multiple facets of a single individual. The title, derived from a common Latin phrase, relates this notion. 

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Premiere
Commissioned by Robert Fleitz; premiered in 2015 at The Juilliard School.
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​Recording