CONFIDENTIAL

Listen to the work here!
 
CONFIDENTIAL is a work for clarinet and marimba, part of an ongoing series entitled M+1. This is a series of mixed duets featuring the marimba, alongside a variety of woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and other instruments. Thirty-six duets have been planned out, of which CONFIDENTIAL is the sixth, and these duets, following from the letter-and-number-infused title of the series, begin with letters or numbers covering the alphabet and Arabic numerals (A-Z, 0-9) once each.
 
This duet for clarinet and marimba draws on two main inspirations. The first is the wind ensemble work (Redacted) by John Mackey, a favorite composer of mine. In this work, which like CONFIDENTIAL draws on themes of mystery and intrigue, the clarinet is used at key points to draw the listener in with strange melodic turns. This is most strongly reflected in the opening section of the work, in a waltz style and with ever-shifting key centers. The second source of inspiration for this piece is my studies in the tonal and rhythmic language of Carnatic music, which I studied with Poovalur Sriji while at the University of North Texas. This can be heard in the second large section of the work, which recasts the waltz rhythms of before into a quintuplet subdivision, with each beat of the waltz a different interpretation of the quintuplet. The Carnatic influence can also be heard in the connecting material that concludes this section, and the codetta material at the work’s end. Finally, in reference to the nature of secret business being conducted behind closed doors, there is included a brief quote of a 2018 political anthem by a prominent R&B and hip-hop artist. In keeping in line with this work’s theme, the quote’s source, and location in the piece, are confidential.