Symphony of Drones No. 1

Composer: 
Matthew Welch
Instrumentation freestyle: 
variable instruments, or: flute, saxophone, violin, piano/accordion, percussion, and vocalist
Year Authored: 
2001
Duration (min): 
10
Publisher: 
ACA
Publisher URL: 
American Composers Alliance

Ensemble Type

Symphony of Drones #1 (2001) is a symphony in the most literal meaning of the word, a collection of sounds, in this case, those centered around a drone mentality. It is a conducted, graphically notated piece designed for any collection of four or more pitched instruments. It is in a three -movement form, and each movement addresses various indeterminate and structured improvisational concepts that explore textures that ornament, enhance and disrupt a fused and continuous ensemble timbre.

Comments: 

"The work’s title is appropriate in the sense that each of its movements is built on a steady underlying pitch or chord. But it is also misleading: anyone lulled into expecting a proto-Minimalist meditation would have been startled by the wild, amusingly cacophonous outbursts that drive the piece." 

                               -- Allan Kozinn, The New York Times

audio/mpeg iconSymphony of Drones No. 1 with the Wet Ink Ensemble, 2010