Fragments in Irregular Time
for piano, violin, and cello
(2023)
Tristan Wilson (b. 2002)
Fragments in Irregular Time (2023)
I. Duet I
II. Duet II
III. Duet III
IV. dream of a ruby cathedral
Duration: c. 6.5 mins.
Premiered on June 15, 2023
Neave Trio
Skidmore College – Arthur Zankel Music Center
Performance Notes
Piano – the following pitches should be marked for pizzicato: D3, C♯4, A5
Violin – circle bow: bow up/down and side-to-side in a small concentric circle motion at the tip for a feathery, noisy sound
The pianist should cue (preferably as small as possible) the beginning of the fourth movement, giving the illusion of “cutting off” the cello vamp at the end of the third.
Composer’s Note
It may be tempting to think that the mention of “irregular time” in the title of this piece refers to some aspect of the music itself. While this may indeed be the case, my initial conception of the title referred more to the continued “irregular time” we live in, rather than any unusual rhythmic content.
The first three movements are short panels for each of the instrumental duos contained within the trio: the first sparse and vacant, a kind of scene setting; the second languorous and searching; and the third at turns neurotic and radiant. The final movement (as long as the first three combined) was inspired by a surrealist image of a Gaudí-esque cavernous space, resplendent with large uncut rubies; a space in which I immediately wanted to hear music played in. It is that imagined music that I wished to capture in this movement, which gradually, yet inevitably winds down perhaps giving the sense of the candles in the cathedral slowly being extinguished.
This work was written for and premiered by the Neave Trio at the 2023 Mostly Modern Festival (Saratoga Springs, NY).