Commissioned by the Aeolus String Quartet
Composed by Steven Snowden

From the Aeolus Quartet's 2012 album *Many-Sided Music*
Digital release date: March 06, 2012


Program Notes:
Appalachian Polaroids was initially inspired by the controversial portrait photography of Shelby Lee Adams (b. 1950). Though sometimes criticized for perpetuating the hillbilly stereotype of rural Appalachia, I feel that his photographs often illuminate the quiet resilience of these remote mountain communities. As a native of the Ozark Mountain countryside, I have always felt a strong connection with my neighbors to the East. In Appalachian Polaroids, I chose to create my own musical portrait of the unique mix of hardship and joy that comes with living an isolated rural life. 

This piece begins with a 1976 field recording of Sheila Kay Adams (no relation to Shelby Lee) singing the popular folk song Black is the Color in Asheville, North Carolina. The quartet quietly enters as an integrated component of the recording, playing with the wood of their bows to create a slightly noisy effect, similar to the tape hiss present in the old equipment used to record Sheila's stunning voice. Their sound gradually becomes more brilliant until the group finally emerges with crowing figures reminiscent of Appalachian fiddle playing. However, they also carry with them remnants of Sheila's own unique singing style. These attributes, (which include sliding/scooping to and from certain pitches and a subtle yodeling effect at the ends of phrases) expand as the piece progresses and eventually exert their influence on large-scale aspects of melody, rhythm and even form.


Appalachian Polaroids

Ben Morris is a composer whose music tells unconventional stories and crosses genre boundaries. He is Assistant Professor of Composition at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Sound Artist, Composer, Engineer at Roeba Productions

I'm not on SC too much, look me up on the other sites :). You can contact Jeremy though his website if you have any questions; http://www.jeremyabbott.net/

Composer, tinkerer, found sound enthusiast.
<a href="http://stevensnowden.com"></a>

Steven Sérpa is an award-winning whose works have been performed by the Austin Symphony, Tucson Symphony, the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, as well as being part of the American Composers Orchestra EarShot emerging composer program. His one act-opera Thyrsis & Amaranth has had over a dozen production and was praised by critics as a "truly beautiful… magnificent little story jammed full of thought and feeling and meaning" with “gorgeous music and wrenching lyrics.” Recent premieres include a choral oratorio on HIV stigma with Inversion Ensemble in Austin and a micro-opera responding to the Pulse nightclub tragedy with Thompson Street Opera in Chicago and Opéra Queens in Montréal. Steven earned his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He makes his home in Austin, TX with his partner and their rescue dogs, and he works as co-director of Fast Forward Austin, producing inventive, forward-looking music experiences for local audiences and communities. www.serpamusic.com

They/them
Hellenic pagan
Indie rock, hip hop, pop, etc