Orchestra, 2002
Duration: 8 minutes
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
English Horn
2 Bb Clarinets
Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
Contra-Bassoon
4 Horns in F
3 Trumpets in C
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani
3 Percussion
Strings
Program notes:
A simple musical figure triggers several contrasting ideas, from the
idyllic to the brutal. These ideas are jumbled and juxtaposed
throughout the work, sometimes smoothly, sometimes violently, united by
a single tempo as well as their common source. As each idea develops
somewhat independently, the result is a multiple narrative around a
central theme. The title reflects a feature of the medieval waterwheel
where simple cams on the driveshaft would trip a hammer, or series of
hammers, for a wide variety of industrial uses, from production of
clothing to weapons of war.
Winner, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Fresh Ink 2002 Composers Competition
Recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Vit Micka, conductor. MMC Records, MMC2162 (2007).