Instrumentation:

flute, percussion (vibraphone, snare drum)

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Duration:

4 minutes

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Program Note:

In the Dark represents two different modalities of our emotional response to darkness: serenity and fright. Late at night, in the woods, in my sleeping bag, I had the idea to scribble random notes on a page of sheet music. In the morning light, I was pleased to find some very interesting patterns in my sheet music. I took the resulting melodic and harmonic fragments and used them as the basis for In the Dark.

The piece has two main sections: the first is a tranquil, melodic section representing the peacefulness and stillness of the dark. It is held together by a six-note outburst that gets passed around between the vibraphone and the flute. The second section contrasts with the first, evoking feelings of fear and confusion we sometimes feel when we encounter the unknown. The snare is used in this section to contrast the timbre of the vibraphone, whose clear, pure tones are the exact opposite of the snare’s messy overtones and harsh sound. In the end, with a fuller understanding—knowing what was once unknown—the musical ideas from the first section are reprised with a new sense of serenity.