Electricity

(1987), for solo flute. 5 minutes.

Electricity is a piece of program music, based on a long night’s gig with a ’50s and ’60s rock & roll band called “Max Voltage and the Resistors.” You probably wouldn’t guess that from listening to it, though, unless you noticed the brief quote of the horn break from the Wilson Pickett song Midnight Hour.

You would, however, probably notice the lyrical melody on which the piece is based, since it reappears throughout the piece in one form or another, much like the refrain of a traditional rondo form. And you would certainly notice the unusual flute techniques the piece calls for, such as key slaps, harmonics, bends, flutter-tongue, and whispering into the flute. The flautist is supposed to whisper his or her own nickname, but if he or she chickens out, the composer’s nickname (“Stingray”) may be substituted.

[score] PDF score (38 KB).

[sound] MP3 recording (3.35 MB).

[download mp3]