Seven Shrinking Machines

Written for Icarus Ensemble as part of the European Composers' Professional Development Programme 2012 in partnership with the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Seven Shrinking Machines is a study in proportion and memory. Seven distinct musical sections are presented, each with their own identity and set of rules; each with their own 'DNA'. One section is removed, and the remaining six sections are presented, each retaining their unique 'DNA'. Again, one section is removed, and the remaining five sections are presented. This process continues until there is only one section remaining. The structural pattern is ABCDEFG/BCDEFG/BCDEF/CDEF/CDE/DE/D - resulting in a total of 28 sections. The first of these is long, and low. Each successive section starts a semitone higher and is one second shorter than the previous section. This gives structural cohesion to a work that is otherwise fragmented in construction.

Scoring:

1 Flute, 1 B-flat Clarinet, 1 Percussion, 1 Bass Guitar, 1 Electric Guitar, 1 Accordion, 1 Synthesiser