Matthew Welch

Piano Quartet

Composer's Note:

The Unjust Incarceration had its origins developed in my ensemble Blarvuster and fueled sections of my opera Borges and the Other. It explores dense, dissonant modal heterophony, as well as free modal counterpoint (further refined in Piano Quartet No. 1, The Mosaic of Iridescence, actually written after Piano Quartet No. 2) and is perfectly suited to the piano quartet genre, utilizing both 4 and 5 part-writing and the continuity of sound possible in this instrumentation.
As a creation in the post-minimalist vein, it thrives on repetition and input from the performers in terms of navigating the form and elements of modal improvisation. The repeats are ideally a minimum of 4 times through a module, however more repetitions throughout will yield a larger scale work if the performance context requires this, such as music for dance, theatre or a site-specific situation, or furthermore, as a type of protest sit-in.
Despite the lack of slurring, it is to be played in a smooth and connected manner. Modules labeled I (for "improv") contain rhythm-free pitch sets for the performers to improvise with lyrically, texturally and rhythmically before the group elects to proceed by moving to the next section by cue. Modules labeled H refer to "head" and are a drastic shift in texture from elsewhere, emphasizing the lyrical power and broader rhythms in contrast to the more uniformly locomotive textures. These should be treated as the expressive goal and hidden gem of each of the four lettered sections.