to Speak

for string quartet, 2018
premiered by the JACK Quartet

Program Note
The sound of a word being recalled, the physical realization of memory—these prosaic, almost biological rhythms constitute the fabric of this piece. The players are asked to tell a story, to remember an early occasion of speaking. While their words are barely audible, their pacing and inflection shapes the material. Pitches emerge as speech slows. Words stretch lugubriously into tones and, eventually, song. The players continue to communicate through shifting veils of sound.