Ecto, for flute, Bb clarinet, violin and vibraphone

Hammond, D. (2013) Ecto, for flute, Bb clarinet, violin and vibraphone. [Compositions] (Unpublished)

Abstract

Ecto was started and abandoned in 2009, but revisited in 2013 when an opportunity arose with Scotland's Red Note Ensemble in June. This is the programme note for the premier at Sloan's in Glasgow: I was not certain if Ecto would ever be performed, and I am delighted to be able to resurrect it for Red Note. It is largely a study piece, dating from the final phase of my PhD when I was attempting to find a somewhat less laborious process for my compositions. The problem seemed to come down to the idea of personal reflection. My tendency to turn judgment inward, to examine and reexamine both my motivations and my justifications for aesthetic decisions, has at times led me to the brink of voicelessness. I am still, quite simply, too worried about what I think of myself. Ecto, according to its etymology, was an attempt to remove the inwardness and be, as it were, “ective” (Ecto, from Gr. Ektos, meaning outside or external), or to switch off the internal hung parliament and pronounce something in a downright manner. Given this revival, the piece may turn out to be the first of a folio of small chamber pieces, an example of which can be found in my ongoing collection of Coyote Nocturnes.

• Item Type: Compositions
• Keywords: composition, red note ensemble, chamber music
• Status: Unpublished
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hammond, Drew
• Authors: Hammond, D.
• Subjects: M Music and Books on Music > M Music
• College/School: College of Arts > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Music
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2013 The Author
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License