STILLNESS
for Alto Flute and marimba (Four-mallets)
Written: 2016
Duration: ca. 6'
Instrumentation: alto flute and five-octave marimba (four-mallets)
Commissioned by Micheal Barnes
World Premiere: Recital, Carly Prince, alto flute, Micheal Barnes, marimba, Oklahoma University School of Music, Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, April 23, 2016.
World Premiere Recording: Daniela Mars: Reverence For The Moment; Daniela Mars, alto flute, Robert Paterson, marimba (VOCES8 Records)
Publisher: Bill Holab Music
Also available: Stillness for oboe and marimba (six-mallets) and a setting for a cappella choir entitled Lux Aeterna
Program Note
Initially, Stillness was the only work I've ever written without a program note. For a work so close to my heart and with so much personal meaning, I initially couldn't bring myself to write one. After a long period of time and reflection, it seems like a program note is necessary. Stillness was inspired by my wife Victoria having a miscarriage during her second trimester and the sense of loss, grief, and hopelessness we experienced when this happened. As a small source of comfort and to help us find a way forward in our hearts, I composed this piece in memory of our unborn child, with the notion that perhaps our child's spirit is in a happy place or at least the memory of who our child would have been can live on in our hearts. Miscarriages are often not discussed openly, so this piece is just one small gesture of love and support for all women who have endured this experience in their lives.
Stillness exists as this version for alto flute and marimba, another version for oboe and marimba played with six mallets, and also as a choral version, a setting of Lux Aeterna.