Bang on a Can

With the exception of the pieces I compose for The Qube Chix (a Bay Area group of which I am a member), I usually write works for solo voice (my own) live digital processors, and sampled sounds. So, composing The Schmetterling was an interesting challenge for me. However, I had just completed a work for The California E.A.R. Unit when I started work on this piece, and one of the things I learned in that process was the importance of hearing the timbres I'm trying to work with. I felt compelled, for the first time, to acquire some good instrument samples. I had to scrounge because my many banks of samples included traffic noises, text, machinery,water, but very few standard instruments. I assembled this piece in ProTools (sound editing software for the Mac) as I often do, but in addition to the audio tracks I used for my sounds (I made it a point to include myself in this piece so I could perform with these wonderful players!), I added MIDI tracks for the All-Stars' instrument tracks. In this way, I was able to get some idea of what the piece would sound like in the end, although I'm sure that my realization is only a mere shadow of what the actual players will do with it. The Schmetterling was inspired by a harrowing encounter I had with an exotic, German Lepidopteran. --Pamela Z