Silence and Thunder for Strings and Percussion

Abstract

This composition was inspired by a casual conversation I had with my daughter Lenna, to whom it is dedicated. The basic materials of the music were in my mind for several days but the piece was actually written in its entirety in one day in Arizona on Friday, August 13, 1999.

As the title indicates, Silence and Thunder denotes two contrasting ideas based on dynamics. “Silence” is represented mostly in the static and soft string materials. “Thunder” is mostly manifested in the percussion, which employs two instruments: any keyboard percussion which meets the range of the music and any indefinite pitch membranophone. Numerology is a major component in the construction of the composition which is based on the numbers 3 and 7. Throughout the piece, the two numbers control the flow of the music. Two consecutive thirds plus one seventh highlight the importance of the day the work was completed (August 13).