Quartetto di Cremona with Nolan Pearson, piano
Recorded live at the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre
May 03, 2013 at the Intimacy of Creativity Festival.


The Devil's Nine Questions: Mvt 3 - Vulnerable

The Devil's Nine Questions: Mvt 2 - Jagged

The Devil's Nine Questions: Mvt 1 - Viscous

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

Recorded by Nick Bidinger, Kyle Rightly, Mike Musick and Tony Rossi

While contemplating the prospect of writing for tuba-euphonium quartet, I knew that I wanted to focus on two concepts. First, I wanted to explore the vast, but frequently overlooked, technical and musical capabilities of these instruments. Secondly, I wanted to address the working-class roles that these instruments often occupy and how this character trait could be brought to life in such an ensemble.

The “work song” has been a vital part of African culture for centuries. In many societies, these songs encouraged efficiency and quality of work, however, in the harsh conditions of American plantations these songs took on a different kind of importance. The steady unison rhythms kept any one person from being singled out and severely punished for working slower than the rest. This practice continued on into the middle of the 20th Century in the slave labor conditions of southern U.S. prisons. While many of these songs were used all throughout the workday, the traditional work song Take This Hammer was most often reserved for driving iron spikes during railroad construction.

The lyrics below come from a version of the song by Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, a prisoner at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in the 1930’s.

Take This Hammer - Tuba/Euph Quartet (excerpt)

In this recording:  The University of Colorado Wind Symphony

This piece was originally inspired by the painting Garden of Earthly Delights (c. 1490) by Hieronymus Bosch, which gives a twisted, and often gruesome, account of the biblical rise and fall of humankind. However, rather than writing a piece that programmatically represents this work of art in its entirety, I chose to focus on Bosch’s poignant depiction of confronting oneÂ’s own lost innocence. Through the gradual process of leaving the shelter of unabashed ignorance, man becomes aware of both good and evil.

The Garden of Innocence - Wind Ensemble (excerpts)

Recorded by Steve Parker

Ground Round was inspired by the unique sound of cattle auctioneers in the United States. Their chant presents specific rhythms, pitches, and cadences that serve to intensify the auction process and encourage rapid bidding. The end result is a uniquely musical and mesmerizing form of communication. After listening and watching several auctions, Steven decided that this could be successfully explored by utilizing the unique voice-like characteristics of the trombone in conjunction with the live audio processing.aThis piece employs live audio processing techniques via the Max/MSP programming language.

Ground Round - for Trombone and Interactive Electronics

For solo percussion (tea kettle and 6 metal mixing bowels) and electronics.

A Watched Pot - for teakettle, mixing bowls and electronics (excerpt)

State of Origin - Austin, Texas USA

One drop contains oceans

For two tenor and two bari saxes.
Recorded by the Bel Cuore Sax Quartet for their 2017 album Splashing The Canvas
Composed by Steven Snowden

Splashing The Canvas

Take This Hammer

Take This Hammer - Bel Cuore Sax Quartet

From line upon line Percussion's self-titled album - 2011
http://lineuponlinepercussion.org/
http://stevensnowden.com

A Man With a Gun Lives Here - mvt 1 - Be Prepared to Defend Yourself

A Man With a Gun Lives Here - mvt 2 - There Are Thieves About

A Man With a Gun Lives Here - mvt 3 - A Man With a Gun Lives Here

Recorded by Friction Quartet in 2015.

Inspired by two prison work songs recorded at Angola State Prison in the 1940’s by John and Alan Lomax titled Rosie and Take This Hammer.

Take This Hammer - Friction Quartet

Harley idle_rev1 mixdown 09-10-11 clip

The Taos Hum - Timpani and Electronics

Recorded by the Bel Cuore Quartet for their 2017 album Splashing The Canvas
Composed by Steven Snowden

Speed Studies

Speed Studies - Bel Cuore Sax Quartet

Commissioned by Matthew Miracle and premiered Oct. 27, 2011

For more info about this piece, got to:
http://www.stevensnowden.com/portfolio/shovelhead-2/

Program Notes:
The Shovelhead was a notoriously cantankerous, but much beloved V-twin motorcycle engine manufactured from 1966 to 1984 by the Harley Davidson Motor Company. The name was derived from the way in which the engines rocker boxes resemble the inverted heads of coal shovels. Though prone to oil leaks, hard-starting and over heating, this engine defined the unique Harley sound that many love (or hate) today. Thanks to my friend, Amber Alarcón and my Harley, Fricka for providing all of the source material upon which this piece is based.

Shovelhead - for Bass Clarinet and Interactive Electronics

Remix 
Stems from Bent Knee's Shiny Eyed Babies
Courtney Swain - Vocals
Gavin Wallace Ailsworth - Drums

Oh my daughters, oh my sons

Part of a four movement work for solo percussion and electronics titled "Long Distance".  All samples (excepts for the vibes) come from recordings of pay phones in the 1970's.  

Atlanta, GA - 1972 - Vibes and electronics (demo)

Schuyler Slack - Cello
Recorded on Oct 7, 2019 
In Your Ear Studios - Richmond, VA

Find out more about this piece here:
http://www.stevensnowden.com/portfolio/this-mortal-frame/

This Mortal Frame: Mvt. 2 - The Crossing at Aquia Creek

This Mortal Frame: Mvt. 3 - 2nd and Pennsylvania Ave.

This Mortal Frame: Mvt. 4 - Vigilance Committee Office

This Mortal Frame: Mvt. 1 - Samuel A. Smith Residence

All audio samples for this piece were crowdsourced from the "Sounds From Home" project. You can read more about it here:
https://stevensnowden.com/product/sounds-from-home/

Sounds From Home - Phase 1

Steam Man of the Prairies was a dime store science fiction novel written by Edward S. Ellis in 1868 and is widely considered to be the earliest depiction of a humanoid robot in popular culture. Despite Ellis’s rather clumsy writing style and overtly racist depictions of Irish immigrants and Native Americans, this novel provides an interesting perspective on the excitement surrounding innovations in steam technology and exploration of the Western United States in the late 1800’s.
 
Just as the Steam Man represented the attainment of superhuman capabilities through the use of technology, this piece utilizes electronics to expand the sonic palate of the piano and clarinet. By limiting electronically produced sounds to only recordings of extended piano techniques (bowed, plucked, muted, and scraped) my goal was to create a sonic bridge between the timbres of the clarinet and piano in an attempt to create the illusion of a single super-instrument. As a means to take this sonic cohesion one step further, amplification of the electronic sounds in this piece forgoes a typical loudspeaker setup in favor small vibration speakers attached to the soundboard of the piano. This method allows the strings of the piano to vibrate sympathetically with the electronics and takes advantage of the instrument’s natural acoustic resonance.

Special thanks to the Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo in Porto, Portugal for allowing me to record most of the piano extended techniques used in this piece on one of their concert grand pianos.

Steam Man of the Prairies (demo)

Part of a four movement work for solo percussion and electronics titled "Long Distance".  All samples (except for the vibes) come from recordings of pay phones in the 1970's.  

Panorama, VA - 1976 - Vibes and electronics (demo)

Composer, tinkerer, found sound enthusiast.
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