Set

Set, for solo bassoon and electronics, was written for Dana Jessen in the Summer of 2019. The work is a suite of four pieces with quasi-improvised interludes.

Set combines written and improvised music. While the four pieces are fully composed, the interludes feature computer improvisation to accompany the improvising bassoonist. These improvisations aren’t completely free, each with a set of rules for the improviser. Beyond the musical effect, this shifts the dynamic between composer and performer, as the performer becomes the central author of the improvised section and the composer becomes a performer of the electronics. This piece was developed with Dana Jessen, who taught me a great deal about bassoon technique during the process. Indeed, the composer-performer dichotomy further breaks down when one considers that large sections of this piece were based upon idiosyncratic techniques that Dana has developed through her work as an improviser.