I Ching

I Ching is a set of variations for large percussion ensemble based on concepts from the ancient Chinese book of wisdom by the same name. The I Ching derives from the polar concepts of Yang, the light or creative, and Yin, the dark or receptive. Yang is represented by a solid line and Yin by a broken line. These lines are then combined into all possible groups of three, creating eight different trigrams or set of three lines. Each trigram is associated with an image of something that exists between Heaven and Earth. The inspiration for I Ching came thus from the images of the eight trigrams, which are presented in the order of Earth, Mountain, Water, Wind, Thunder, Fire, Lake, and Heaven. The resulting piece is a set of variations on a theme, each basically an impression of the trigram’s image and meaning.