Stellar Epoch

This piece was written for the Lowell Chamber Orchestra's 2021 call for scores, with the requirement for submissions to this competition being that the piece needs to "be inspired by the cosmos- the planets, stars, etc." The piece opens with a loud and chaotic introduction, symbolic of the rapid expansion of dense materials which happened at the "Big Bang" event. While the universe expanded, stars and planets began to fall into a gravitational "harmony" with each other which is demonstrated in the piece when the craziness evolves into a section that is not as dissonant as the former sections. The harmonic language gradually becomes dense again building up to another "explosion" in the music, symbolizing the formation of an individual galaxy. The piece ends unresolved to signify that this process of galactic rebirth is unfinished and is continuing in this very moment. Stellar Epoch is written for a small chamber orchestra that contains 1 flute, 1 oboe, 1 clarinet, 1 bassoon, 1 French horn, 1 trumpet, and strings. In the composition of this piece, I used "slipping and sliding" harmonic textures, meaning that even while this piece was atonal, I would still try to stay within the bounds of harmonic implications. I employed scales as my tool to horizontally "slip" into and out of diatonically vertical harmony, so that the listener's ear can sense patterns rather than ascribing the feel of the piece as being a "modern abstraction." The overall construction of this piece is ABA', the second A being more like quasi-A due to its arrival at the ending "cadence." The A section is glued together by the "pedal" note in the trumpet and horn, allowing for the tonal "slipping" to sound as though the piece has some form of "E" tonal center. This harmonic texture of this piece was influenced by composers like Charles Ives, Paul Hindemith, and Einojuhani Rautavaara.