Absence of
Joy
four-hands piano and computer
(2001)
Score sample: PDF • Audio sample: MP3
PROGRAM NOTES
Absence of Joy, for piano
four-hands and computer, was composed in memory of my
mother, Joy. She was only 51 years old when she passed away
in October 1999 from a rare lung disease called
interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, a condition which causes
the lungs to harden until they can no longer function. Her
loss has left an irreparable hole in my life.
Shortly after her death, her closest friend had a dream in
which my mother told her, "The numbers are 18, 17, 1, and
9. Make sure my son gets them." As a result, the pitches
E-flat, D, B-flat, and G-flat form the foundation of this
work. In addition to live signal processing, pre-recorded
sounds produced the computer are derived from my mother's
favorite music.
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
2007: Armand Hammer Hall of
the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
2005: The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2004: Society of Composers Revion IV Conference, Winthrop
University, Rock Hill, SC
2002: SEAMUS National Conferece, The University of Iowa,
Iowa City, IA
2002: Southeastern Composers League, Mercer University,
Macon, GA
2001: The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL