Spiral Towers

Aidan Gold- percussion 1, William Mapp- percussion 2, Stephanie Lee- Piano

Instrumentation:

Percussion 1: Crotales (both octaves), Vibraphone (shared with Percussion 2), Suspended Cymbal

Percussion 2: Vibraphone (shared with Percussion 1), Bass Drum, Tam-tam, Suspended Cymbal

Piano

Spiral Towers is based on an exhibit from the Henry Art Gallery. It was part of Ann Hamilton’s “The Common Sense”. The exhibit featured tall pillars with motors spinning up and down them at different speeds all around the room. Also there were smaller pillars that extended only a few feet from the ground before they were stopped by a table-like surface. This seemed almost like a mechanical imitation of a natural phenomenon such as a forest, with large and small trees surrounding the viewer. This is translated into music via “pillars” of overtones, some barely reaching past the first partial, while some soar to the top range of the piano. These overtone series are not natural in that they are confined within the equal-tempered piano tuning, so they are a mechanical imitation of something natural, just like the exhibit could be. The Crotales produce an ethereal shimmer that permeates the piece. The overtone series gradually grows throughout the piece until they overlap and plunge back downwards climactically at the end.