Star Map

Listen to the work here!
 
Star Map is a work for a percussion quintet of metallic instruments, with the following instrumentation:
Percussion 1: Vibraphone, Ride Cymbal, Washboard
Percussion 2: Almglocken (2 Octave Chromatic Range), Bell Plates (4, graduated)
Percussion 3: Tenor Steel Pan (Low D), Triangles (3, graduated), Bass Drum (Large)
Percussion 4: Glockenspiel, Hi-Hat, Spoonbag, Bass Drum (Large)
Percussion 5: Crotales (2 Octave Chromatic Range), Chimes, Synthesizer
 
Star Map transforms the 88 constellations classified by the International Astronomical Union into musical gestures based on each constellation’s size, shape, group, and location in the night sky. In the piece, the plane angle subtended by each constellation’s region of space determines the duration of each gesture; the relative location determines the pitch content, with more distinct pitches used for constellations closer to the North Pole and vice versa; the IAU’s 8 Constellation Groups determine the players used in each gesture; and the shapes of each constellation are mapped as pitch material emulating MIDI rolls. The exception to the last rule is the constellations of the Zodiac Group, which provide the piece with a recurring theme. The work uses metallic instruments amidst this ever-evolving harmonic and gestural landscape to create the feeling of staring out in awe at the night sky.