Feather for solo trumpet (2016)
Program Note
“Feather” for solo trumpet (2017), premiered byJoseph Vranas, explores the soft, lyrical side of the trumpet so rarely examined even in contemporary repertoire. Central to the piece is an image of a feather gradually floating to earth. The sound of the piece contradicts our expectations of the trumpet’s main function in the orchestra: a brash, aggressive herald of armed forces. Instead, the softer sound invites us to question our expectations and redefine the capacity of this instrument.
I chose trumpet for its gendered connotations. Most trumpet players are men, and the function of the trumpet in the orchestra aligns with many traditional Western masculine ideals: military strength, uncompromising presence, and daring confidence. Although we are increasingly able to understand these and other attributes as ungendered, we are not always as flexible in our thinking about masculinity itself. I hope this piece prompts listeners to imagine not only what is possible for the trumpet, but what is possible for masculinity. Key to this characterization is the acoustic adjustment of the staging: the trumpet is played from afar, behind the audience, allowing the sound to make its way to the listener’s ears less directly. The result is an attack softened by reverberation and distance.