Lava

Lava, as a form of molten rock erupted from beneath the earth’s surface, is both dark and radiant. Fine details in its shape, dictated by motion, are displayed by glowing fissures on the dark exterior. Lava may be rapid or slow moving in pace, but relentless in its path.

This piece is named Lava because I feel it is both dark and bright, two qualities that can be expressed quite well on a marimba using voicing and timbre. The captivating low range achieves dark sonorities, which contrast with bright bursts of activity in higher ranges.

To me, this is reminiscent of embers and volcanic spatter (or pyroclasts), which are small chunks that explode into the air from the eruption and away from the main body of lava. The solemn bass motive in the opening is used as a vehicle to realize harmony, polyrhythmic relationships, and metric modulations throughout the piece at varied paces. Like molten rock, these transformations are at times slow-moving but persistently interconnected.