Skitter Music
Rob Smith
About this work:
Skitter Music was written for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and was premiered at the Aspen Music Festival in 1994. The "skitter" of the title refers to the jittery and bouncy texture created throughout much of the piece, which is often represented by jeté figures in the strings (such as in the opening of the work). The term jeté refers to a bowing technique where the bow is "thrown" at the strings, thus making it bounce and sound a group of notes. Longer melodic lines and more fluid gestures contrast the "skitter" material, and it is the juxtaposition of these two ideas that creates the formal structure of the work.
Year composed: 1994
Duration: 00:07:45
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 6-9 players
Instrumentation: 1 Flute, 1 Clarinet, 1 Vibraphone, 1 Piano, 1 Violin, 1 Cello
Instrumentation notes: flute doubles on piccolo