Program Notes
Haunted is an extended vocal technique composition that tells the story of a man being stalked by a creature as he makes his way home at night. With aesthetic inspiration from Lachenmann’s Guero, the piece uses a custom graphic notation structure with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) system I experimented with during my undergraduate studies. Now, I wanted to see the ways I could push the system further by including more voice types and extending ranges and IPA materials.
Text
Evening was in the wood, luring with storm.
A time of drought had sucked the weedy pool
And baked the channels; birds had done with song.
Thirst was a dream of fountains in the moon,
Or willow-music blown across the water
Leisurely sliding on by weir and mill.
Uneasy was the man who wandered, brooding,
His face a little whiter than the dusk.
He thought: “Somewhere there’s thunder,” as he strove
To shake off dread; he dared not look behind him.
Premiered by Savanna Singleton (alto), Julian Yanas (tenor), and PJ Mooney (bass).
November 29, 2023 – Voertman Hall, University of North Texas