I. Sundowning

Sundowning serves as a double-entendre for the first movement. First, it refers to a state of delirium observed in dementia patients near sunset. I also make reference to the bugle call Taps that is played in the U.S. Military to signal lights out. The core of the movement is a 2nd inversion major chord, which is the basis of taps. I wanted to take this idea and slowly distort it throughout the movement. It begins somewhat recognizable, then slowly dissolves into a cacophony. I wanted to capture a feeling of the escaping of ‘the good old days’ (not that I am old enough to have ever experienced them – coincidentally most of the population that can remember these days are old enough to develop dementia). I took the simple idea of the major chord and transposed and distorted it across instruments until it becomes a nearly unbearable noise. At the very end, I used aleatoric notation and gave each player a different chord, instructed to play at their own pace. This allows for a complicated texture that increases in intensity until it explodes into the second movement.

II. Shareholder Profits

In this movement I wanted to address a serious topic but in an ironic/satirical manner. The movement is intended to be quite intense, but not entirely serious. On one hand, with the explosive opening chords, I want to represent the anger felt across America. However, I wanted to represent how unserious these issues are to those in power, who reduce all these issues to how they affect their profits regardless of the cost on the masses (hence the movement being named ‘shareholder profits’). I wanted to capture both anger and how deeply unserious these issues are to those in charge. There is a serious intensity in spots, but also a bit of silliness in the chromatic legato of the upper strings.

III. My Home

This movement is by far the most personal. I wanted it to convey a bittersweet longing for my home. I used a lot of ambiguous chords throughout to convey conflicting emotions. I tried to capture a longing for a home that does not exist anymore – wishing to return, but if I did, it would not be what I yearned for. I used occasional glissandi to add to the unease alongside the cluster-y chords.