The Mechanics of Escapement (2008)
Instrumentation: Toy Piano and clock chimes
Electronics: No
Duration: 15'
Commissioned by Concert Artists Guild for Phyllis Chen
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NOTES: The Mechanics of Escapement is about the fragile athleticism of playing an instrument, and the inherent contradiction of expressing oneself through a mechanical instrument that places sound production far from the body. It was inspired by my encounter with the device Robert Schumann used to strengthen his technique, ultimately ruining his hands, and by my own battles with performance injuries. It is written for toy piano, specifying both the attack of notes and the release of the key mechanism, and for instrument of clock chimes (long resonating rods, like those that are in the toy piano), designed and built by the composer and John Roche. The chimes serve to mark time cycles on which the structure is built, much like gongs in Gamelan music. The Mechanics of Escapement was commissioned by Concert Artists Guild.
