TOCATINA

for cello, bassoon, horn, trombone, piano and percussion (2020)


The Tocatina was written in December of the year 2020. It consists of four miniature movements, each one lasting around 60 to 90 seconds. The first movement is based around a single pitch (a D) with some fun rhythms circling around it. The second movement uses the note letter names present in my own name (D A E C) to build a tiny fugue with an Andean flavor. The third movement is a strange, desolate chant. The fourth movement brings back some of the insistence of the first, this time using rhythmic patterns similar to those of the Afro-Peruvian zamacueca dance.

Details

Duration: 6 to 7 minutes

Movements:

  • I. Una Nota [A Pitch]

  • II. Una Fuga [A Fugue]

  • III. Un Canto [A Chant]

  • IV. Un Pulso [A Pulse]

Representation of musicians on a bottle of the Moche civilization. Copied as a drawing by Donna McClelland  (Christopher B. Donnan and Donna McClelland Moche Archive, 1963-2011).

Representation of musicians on a bottle of the Moche civilization. Copied as a drawing by Donna McClelland
(Christopher B. Donnan and Donna McClelland Moche Archive, 1963-2011).