Judith Shatin

Clarinet in Bb

Composer's Note:

Meridians was inspired by the body’s energy flowlines, conceptualized in Ancient China as the channels through which life energy, Qi, moves.Music has its own energy flow lines Meridians builds on expanding and contracting ones with contrasting qualities: the delicately focused motion of the first and third sections versus the active ones of the second and fourth, the last culminating in an energetic burst. The qualities of energy flow also evoke changing timbres as pitches move through the clarinet's varied registers. These include microtonal inflections, multiphonics and sung resonances projected by silent trills that change the shape of the vibrating air column. All of these techniques were explored in collaboration with David Niethamer, for whom Meridians was composed and to whom it is dedicated. For additional information, visit www.judithshatin.com. –JS