[Chroma]
The purity/ intensity of a colour; its freedom from white or grey.

The inspiration behind this piece stems from a curiosity towards Perceptions of Time, Space and Colour, as well as how these areas intersect with and influence one another. I see each sonic material as containing a sense of time, spatial quality and intensity. These sonic materials are combined and juxtaposed in various manners to create distinct soundworlds, which are reminiscent of one another.

The piece focuses on creating a journey through distinctive states, ones which are in itself shifting and moving, yet ultimately does not arrive at an end destination. A constellation of disparate, static spaces; Going somewhere with nowhere in mind. 

Chroma develops upon the ideas presented in an earlier work, Colouresque, a series of three short studies inspired by a subjective perspective of the relationship between Colour and Emotions, and how these features are re-imagined sonically to form three unique dispositions.

Premiered by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, as part of Illinois State University's Red Note Music Festival 2021

Chroma

[Presence]
The state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present.

The inspiration behind this piece stems from this idea of Presence and Negotiation of Presence --- with the self, with the environment around oneself. I perceive Presence as ‘being real in one’s experiences’ ¬--- even if this presence is not real, no longer real.  The piece opens with a line, “I will write about you to keep you alive. In my mind, only in my mind.” --- which highlights a form of negotiation with oneself between ‘the awareness of an absence’ and ‘the desire for this to remain as part of one’s life’. 

In this piece, this process of Negotiation is viewed as a form of encoding --- repetition to make real --- and features the result of this continuous reiteration. The piece focuses on a continuous unfolding of events, which highlights an interaction between the saxophonist present in this physical space, and a recorded voice whose physical presence is absent, but very much exists in this same space. These disparate presences compete with one another at times, while at others, blur into textures to form a wash of sound. 
.
.
. 
Performed in January 2021 by Andreas Marinello, at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.
Photo credits: my friend, Ariel

In This Space, I Am   Here...

Performed by Martin Jaggi (Cello) and Chua Zi Tao 
.
.
.
16.10.2021, 6.51pm
Of warm sunsets against skin, of comfortable silences between. 
* * *
The adults use to say, “not all who wander are lost.”
Which I never did quite understand.
Being lost doesn’t really sound all like a bad thing.
To wander, to be lost, and to begin again.

All roads lead to Rome.
Well, maybe, but not quite.
Here’s the map, which way’s Home?
Take a turn --- up, down, left, right.

For an answer, we’d look to the skies.
Which could seem kind of child-like.
Might we forget ourselves in the process,
Having no, one destination in mind.

Perhaps we’ll come to a decision;
only if we choose to listen.
* * *
The piece arose due to these thoughts. It sets out to craft an interaction between two people --- one on the cello and one on electronics --- where the resulting sonic outcome is produced through series of interrelated decisions made by each person. These are guided by rules set out through the 2 types of arrows as well as zones demarcated. The arrows indicate paths that can be taken, ones that are unidirectional, bidirectional or U-turns. Demarcations of zones indicate effects to be activated, morphing the sounds of the cello. Fragments of sounds were organised with mainly timbre and melodic contour in mind, creating successive sonic events that are at times, similar to one another, providing continuity, while at times, providing sudden, large contrasts. Once in a while, these paths lead to a dead end. At any time, both parties can choose to "restart", returning to either boxed fragment located in the middle and taking a different path. The result is a map with fixed starting points, a multitude of paths, with no end destination in mind --- where one is allowed to wander, to possibly get lost, and to begin again. Ultimately, I hope to create a music-making experience that places listening at the forefront of interactions between people.

Also, I miss travelling.

Wanderlost

[Adaptation]
n. The action or process of changing something, or of being changed, to suit a new purpose or situation. 

Adaptations of a Gesture is built upon a single gesture, that of repeated single notes which opens the piece, with each subsequent note occurring earlier than the previous (hence obtaining a direction). This gesture is then “adapted”, broken down into its various character traits: linearity, short impulses, minute variations within a repeating event, acceleration/deceleration etc., and then rebuilt. In each section, each of these aspects are utilised to varying degrees --- Imagine each character trait having a sliding scale, and each section being constructed by sliding the scale of each character traits to different values. 

In Adaptations of a Gesture, the bassoon coexists with “machines”, electronically-generated sounds created using distorted sustained bassoon tones, as well as sine tones. One could view these as two extremes of a bassoon’s timbre. Throughout the piece, different sound worlds are established, the bassoon’s relationship with the “machines” changing with each section --- at times in conversation, at times competitive, at time complementary to one another.

Performed by Christoph Wichert at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music

Adaptations Of A Gesture

“Made a promise to the child who understands, what it’s like to drift, float, but never land.”
* * *
Where I’m from, people are always moving. It’s a fast-paced society; there’s a constant need to have a goal and be headed in that direction. To get somewhere, to achieve something, to be someone. Anyone. The fear of going nowhere outweighs everything, as one myopically chases for a destination to land. 
This piece goes nowhere. Perhaps, it seems to go somewhere, suggested by constantly shifting sonic spaces and momentum that points towards a movement in specific directions. But it never quite settles, at least, not for long. Zooming in and out plays a significant role. A 4-note motif underpins the entire piece --- simplistic, repetitive, with a child-like curiosity. One may even think it’s obsessive. Within passages where this material is built upon in a cellular manner, there are hints of trajectories. Zooming out, however, paints a different picture. Different soundscapes emerge, textures woven with similar materials, rarely with a destination in mind.
There’s a constant return to the cellular treatment of this 4-note motif. I liken it to a safe heaven, as if it’s predictable, stable, certain. Yet, each time one returns, something changes. The material slowly loses its identity and eventually falls away. 
* * *
“It’ll be okay. After all, this is my Neverland.”

Performed by b-l Duo (Bertram Wee and Lynette Yeo)

To drift, float, but never land

Shadow ---
A dark area produced by a body coming between rays of light and surface.


I.	The slightest trace of something.
II.	A position of relative inferiority or obscurity.
III.	An inseparable attendant or companion.


As a kid, I found shadows mesmerizing --- this silhouette figure that looked exactly like me, that copied whatever I did, seemingly ever-present, only to disappear when the lights went out. The multiple shadows casted by various light sources, each one different from the next, the sharpness of them varying with distance. It’s fascinating how when one chooses to give something attention, it gains a life of its own. In a similar vein, when one’s attention is transfixed on something, the rest of the world falls away --- merely a shadow to one’s attention.

In Shadow of Attention, attention is constantly being diverted to various “shadows” within the piece --- the imperfect imitations of a material’s character, the minute sounds that go unnoticed, the resonances that remains etc. A melodic phrase is constantly repeated, at times at the forefront of our attention, at times obscured, and at times forming a life of its own, with its own shadows.

What are you giving attention to right now? What are the shadows to your attention?

Performed by Ensemble Chromoson.

Shadow Of Attention

“Dreams feel real when we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realise something was actually very strange.”
 --- Inception

Lucid dreaming, caught in between asleep and awake, an experience which gave rise to this piece. There is a constant sense of foreboding, beginning with a sound world characterised by sustained notes, harmonies characterised by fixed spectra and quarter tone dissonances, as well as the occasional bursts interrupting the eerie sense of calm. This sound world constantly circles back upon itself, the same materials returning, yet not quite like before. As if one is wandering mindlessly, arriving at different corners of the same place. 

Just as one thinks he’s about to wake, one falls yet again into another dream. The music shifts into a harmonically and texturally contrasting world, breaking away from the structures set out prior. The F#-G# interval develops into a recognisable melodic fragment, and one is presented with a lighter, almost diatonic sound world. Yet the same eerie sense of calm, coloured by slight dissonances, remains. Rhythmic intensity and activity increases; one would anticipate some sort of climatic, dramatic end to this. Though, it never does quite arrive at that, before one returns once again to the familiar sound world from before, the texture of the music thinning and the dream fading away.
____________________________________________________________________

12.11.2021, 4:48am
The movement one sees with eyes squeezed shut,
 illuminated by imaginary fireflies.

* * *
I am a spectator of my own mind, conjuring illusions of lives lived and lost. I have long forgotten how I arrived here. Routines etched into my muscles and tattooed beneath my skin propel me forward. I keep drifting, trudging…going.

I am acutely aware of an absence --- no, a presence --- that I can no longer ignore. Cognitive dissonances; the irregular wingbeats of a butterfly. I know, they will surely return to haunt me.

Freefall. Adrenaline. Snap. Awake. Or so it should be. And yet, here, I remain. Lost in a dream within a dream within a dream.
* * *

In Attempts to Wake

To purchase scores, please visit: https://www.tuxpeoplesmusic.com/wildflower.html

[Wildflower]
A flower growing freely without human intervention; a flower that was not meant to bloom. This term, ‘Wildflower’, has been coined as a representation of a free spirit, bravely growing wild and free in a world plagued by conformity. This piece uses the journey of a wildflower as a metaphor for our own search of individual identity, that within the melancholy of its struggle for existence, lies beauty, strength and optimism for a better tomorrow. For we are all wildflowers, waiting to bloom…

I - Chorale in Auburn Leaves
II - Shadows in Amber Flames
​III - Dance in Autumn's Daylight

Written for Saxophone Ensemble, premiered by Protege Saxophone Ensemble at Esplanade Recital Studio, Singapore, in June 2019.

Wildflower

[Pandora's Box]
Pandora's Box is a myth about how a child, Pandora, opened a box which releases chaos into this world. What many may not know, is that at the bottom of Pandora's Box, lies Hope. This piece is a form of exploration and possibilities, in terms of rethinking compositional processes and music as sounds and interactions of sounds. 

Written for Piano, Flute and Percussion.
Premiered by Wu Xian, in March 2018, as part of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music's Young Artist Programme (YCA).

Pandora's Box

[Sounds Beneath Leaded Skies]
Sounds Beneath Leaded Skies is my subjective perception of a rainy day, both physical aspects of a rainy day, as well as the emotional mood on a rainy day. Sonic elements in the piece reflects typical scenes on a rainy day: footsteps on pavements, cars hurrying along roadsides, the occasional thunder and rain showers. The piece consists of two sections: Indoor and Outdoor, which are interchangeable, and contain contrasting emotions. Aspects of this piece have been intentionally left undetermined, so as to highlight that no two rainy days are ever the same. The piece thus aims to paint the impression of an ever-changing sky, and portray the interactions of the surroundings with the weather.

Written for Piano, Flute, Violin, Trumpet, Thunder Sheet and Rainstick. 
Version AB (Outdoors then Indoors).
Premiered at The Arts House, Singapore, in July 2019, as part of Eunoia Junior College's annual Music Elective Programme Concert (Euphony Op.2).

Sounds Beneath Leaded Skies

[Memory Trace]
A transient or long-term change in the brain that represents something encoded as a memory; an engram.

The inspiration behind Memory Trace stems from the fallibility of memories. In accordance with the Reconstructive, Interference and Decay Theory in neurology, memories are constantly being subjected to alterations, hampering and gradual fading with time. These edited memories are perceived to be true and undistorted by oneself, and manifests itself as part of our identity. This thus raises the question of how much of our identity is real. 

Memory Trace is a piece that arose from these thoughts. The music features the gradual morphing of individual melodies and their interactions, giving rise to different soundscapes with various identities. The eventual return to the beginning sees the end of this evolution in the music: a disparity between the musical materials of the start and end, yet a reconciliation through the creation of a new identity and a return to the original soundscape.

This piece seeks to provoke reflection in the audience and performers on the fallibility of their own memories, and the conscious awareness of this process.

Memory Trace

[Facets]
Having multiple aspects or features; multi-dimensional.

Humans are multi-faceted creatures, having multiple personalities and behaviours, our identities shaped by internal and external influences. Consciously or not, we alter our behaviours and identities in accordance to these influences, with certain aspects of ourselves amplified, while others are downplayed or hidden.

Facets is a piece that stems from these thoughts. The music opens with solo woodblocks; in its character exists a duality: an identity that is quiet, gentle, in contrast to an identity that is rougher, harsher. As the piece progresses, the introduction of other instruments with their own identities results in various interactions between the instruments and their sounds, which accentuates/de-emphasises either identities of the woodblock. This brings about constant changes in the character and musical identity within the piece. The piece ends with the absence of the woodblock, the remaining instruments taking on the woodblock’s character; a recall to the beginning.

Premiered by Max Riefer, at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, January 2020.

Facets

Instrumentation
Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano

Programme Notes
[Colouresque]
In the manner of colour; resembling colour.
I. Red
II. Grey
III. Blue
Colouresque is a collection of three short studies, each with their own distinct character and “colour”. The inspiration behind this collection stems from a subjective perspective of the relationship between Colour and Emotions, specifically the quality and the rate of change of emotions in relation to each colour. The three studies draw upon these features, re-imagining them sonically to form three unique dispositions.

Duration
ca. 6’30”

Colouresque

Joan Tan (b.2000) is a Singaporean composer. She graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Music (Hons.) in Composition at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM), under the tutelage of Associate Professor Peter Ivan Edwards and Martin Jaggi. She composes acoustic and electroacoustic music, morphing instrumental timbres into new soundscapes. Her music is characterised by organic development, contrasting different possibilities and subverting expectations of directions within a piece.

Every sound triggers a sensory response, engaging one’s imagination and evoking emotions through associations. In a world where much sensory input is tuned-out for the sake of every day functioning, Joan seeks to create sonic experiences to encourage close listening, guiding listeners through crafted, auditory experiences that provide momentary escape. The inspiration for her works comes from delving into experiences, both of hers and of others. She believes that everyone has a story, that these individual stories manifests itself in and shapes the manner in which one interacts with others and ones’ environments. It is this awareness that each person is living a life as vivid and complex as one’s own, and the desire to understand others better, that drives both her creative endeavours, as well as her activities beyond the realm of the Arts. 

Joan hopes to travel widely one day, to experience life in societies beyond her own. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joan Tan (geb. 2000) studierte Musik Komposition mit Peter Ivan Edwards und Martin Jaggi an der Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM). Sie komponiert akustische und elektroakustische Musik, wobei sie instrumentale Klangfarben zu neuen Klanglandschaften morpht. Ihre Musik besteht aus organischen Entwicklungen, die verschiedene Möglichkeiten kontrastiert und die Erwartungen an die Richtung innerhalb eines Stücks untergräbt.

Jeder Klang löst eine sensorische Reaktion aus, regt die Vorstellungskraft an und weckt durch Assoziationen Emotionen. In der heutigen Welt werden viele Sinneseindrücke ausgeblendet, um den Alltag zu bewältigen. Joan versucht, Klangerlebnisse zu schaffen, die zum genauen Hinhören anregen. Sie möchte die Zuhörer durch kunstvoll gestaltete Hörerlebnisse führen, die eine Flucht aus dem Alltag ermöglichen.

Die Inspiration für ihre Werke kommt aus der Erforschung von eigenen und fremden Erfahrungen. Sie glaubt, dass jeder Mensch eine Geschichte hat. Diese individuellen Geschichten manifestieren sich in der Art und Weise, wie man mit anderen und seiner Umgebung interagiert. Das Bewusstsein, dass jeder Mensch ein ebenso lebendiges und komplexes Leben wie ihres lebt, und der Wunsch, andere besser zu verstehen, sind die Triebfedern ihrer kreativen Bemühungen und ihrer Aktivitäten außerhalf der Kunst.

Joan hofft, weit zu reisen und das Leben in anderen Gesellschaften als ihrer eigenen kennenzulernen.

Joan Tan Jing Wen

Popular tracks