Flute and Trombone, 2019
Duration: 9 minutes
Contranyms are words that have two commonly accepted meanings that contradict each other in some way (the word “custom” might mean “ordinary, regular”, as in customary, or “specialized, tailored”, as in customized). This composition is in nine sections, played continuously, with each section based on a contranym: buckle, impassionate, fast, discursive, weather, custom, temper, show-stopper, and reflexive. These section titles serve to inform the music, with the two instruments sometimes working together to present “contradictory” music, and at other times playing rather different interpretations of the same musical ideas. In this way, the work seeks to celebrate both the notable differences and occasional similarities between flute and trombone.
Contranyms was commissioned in 2019 by Dr. Philip Martinson and Dr. Shelley Martinson.