American Dream
music by Scott Wollschleger
performed by Bearthoven (Karl Larson, piano; Pat Swoboda, double bass; and Matt Evans, percussion)

From Scott Wollschleger's second album, American Dream, released on Cantaloupe Music:
https://cantaloupemusic.com/albums/american-dream

American Dream (measures 219-392)

Huge, huge thanks to Laura, Madison, Marina, Charlotte, Ellery, and Joy, whose patience, kindness, brilliance, friendship, and magical sounds made it possible. 

Big shoutout to Taylor Brooks, David Bird, David Adamcyk, and Murat Colak for the extra support! Let's celebrate the spirit of collaboration and the incredible power of artistic synergy. I am forever grateful for your invaluable contributions.

Who Wants To Listen To That

Growing up playing electric guitar in Chicago, the Blues were my natural first musical stop. As I got older and fell in love with other genres and traditions, Blues fell by the wayside, at least until a few years ago. During the long overdue reckoning with America’s racist history following George Floyd’s murder, I decided to dig a little deeper into my own family’s history and lineage.

Blues originated in the early 1900s in the Mississippi Delta, and it eventually made its way north to Chicago (and I guess St. Louis too) during the great migration. All of my grandparents passed away before I was born, but my dad’s parents were born in the heart of the Delta, and both came to Chicago during the Migration. It was the realization that my musical roots in the Blues were more than just a geographic circumstance, but a cultural and hereditary tradition that goes deeper than I had previously realized. This piece explores the way in which Blues has subtly and subconsciously influenced my compositional voice while also experimenting with the sound of iconic blues riffs and licks.

Premiered by Hub New Music

Stagnation Blues

TA: Serge Modular analogue synthesizer, contact microphone.

Spectro (excerpt 1)

performed by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, conducted by Marc Desmons

June 25, 2019 @ Maison de la Radio Studio 105, Paris, France

cover art by Jackie Andrews

Thunderhead - for orchestra

HYPHA: Deep Ocean

For two microtonal keyboards (2019)
Duration: 7 minutes
Commissioned by the Ray-Kallay Duo (Vicki Ray & Aron Kallay)

Program note:
I wrote "hush" during a time when I wanted nothing more than a hug.  The uncannily saccharine sounds of the piece are meant to surround and envelop the listener as similar to how an infant might be swaddled when held in their mother’s arms.  The piece is scored for two microtonal pianos using alternate tuning systems reminiscent of a music box.  Over time, the tuning is further warped, creating a haunting and unearthly emotional affect.

Though lullabies are generally used to soothe a child to sleep, they are often even more meaningful for the mother who sings them, and the lyrical content of many historical lullabies is dark and lamentful.  "hush" tries to capture this duality, portraying the sweet, yet eerie nostalgia of childhood.

hush

Written for and performed by Longleash Trio - Pala Garcia (violin), John Popham (cello), and Renate Rohlfing (piano) - in August, 2019

score art by Jacqueline Andrews

infested                      

infested - Longleash Trio

Performed by Latitude 49 at Princeton University.

Until You Are In The Dark

2-channel electronic, fixed-media.
Loíza, Puerto Rico, December 25, 2020 - January 2, 2021.
"drink rain from the pulse at my throat" - text excerpted from Kim Addonizio's "Muse".

Stagnation Blues

Elijah Daniel Smith

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