Luck and Pluck for solo contrabass (2006)
4-8 minutes
Luck and Pluck was composed for the remarkable John Geggie, who asked all the Crane faculty composers to write a short piece for him. My first idea was to write a short study in pizzicato effects. This of course evoked the word "pluck", which in turn brought to mind the Horatio Alger title Luck and Pluck. The word "luck" suggested an aleatoric piece, so the first movement is created from a set of instructions that result in a succession of excerpts from a chance number of solo contrabass pieces, the length and selection of excerpts all determined by dice throws. One realization is available, but the performer is welcome to follow the instructions and create a realization from his/her own library. Since the length of that first movement can be anywhere from under one to five minutes, the duration of the entire piece is variable.
4-8 minutes
Luck and Pluck was composed for the remarkable John Geggie, who asked all the Crane faculty composers to write a short piece for him. My first idea was to write a short study in pizzicato effects. This of course evoked the word "pluck", which in turn brought to mind the Horatio Alger title Luck and Pluck. The word "luck" suggested an aleatoric piece, so the first movement is created from a set of instructions that result in a succession of excerpts from a chance number of solo contrabass pieces, the length and selection of excerpts all determined by dice throws. One realization is available, but the performer is welcome to follow the instructions and create a realization from his/her own library. Since the length of that first movement can be anywhere from under one to five minutes, the duration of the entire piece is variable.
[No sound file available]