These short pieces highlight my ongoing artistic mission to simplify and cut as much extraneous material as possible from my compositional language, leaving only products that are direct, communicative, and visceral.
Any voice type may sing them and accompaniment may be played by any instrument or ensemble with the capacity. If chords must be revoiced, they may be. In this case the lowest and highest notes of chords must remain the same pitch class (an A must be an A). However, it is also fine if the entire piece is transposed. It is recommended these pieces not be played back-to-back. It is instead preferable to intersperse one or both within larger programmes. They are short monologues and most effective when allowed to function as commenting on surrounding works. Either piece may be listed on any programme under any title the programmer deems relevant to the show.
A premiere recording of “2. (on endings)” was released on Centrediscs’ “Unfinished Business,” an album of my piano and vocal music. It finishes the album, is entitled “Endings,” and features guitar under my own vocal performance. I have performed “1. (on information)” numerous times for 1st and 2nd year music students at York University since I began my PhD in musicology there in 2022.
