Corruption (2019)
Multi-percussion solo and playback track
9:00
The Aztec death whistle is a terrifying instrument that mimics a human, or rather, inhuman shriek. It was first discovered in the 1990s at an ancient temple in Mexico City. Archaeologists believe that it may have been used in war, healing ceremonies, or perhaps during ritual sacrifices. Though the death whistle is not heard until near the end, it is the very heart of the piece.
Corruption tells a Faustian story of unchecked ambition, unholy bargains, and unfortunate consequences.
Special thanks to Jack Holway for his invaluable assistance with the playback track. Corruption was commissioned by Bastian Wood, and was completed on Halloween 2019.
In the fall of 2019, I left Indiana University and moved to Nashville to begin adjunct work at Middle Tennessee State University. It was important to me that I continue composing, so I made space in my schedule for creative work. My first project in this new life was a multi-percussion piece for Bastian Wood, which ultimately became Corruption.
Corruption also marked my first artistic collaboration with my longtime friend Jack Holway. We spent many hours in the studio working on this piece, and his expertise and creativity proved to be a large part of this piece’s success. Jack contributed many of this piece’s cooler ideas, and was invaluable in the mixing and mastering process.
There was a long delay from the completion of this piece to its publication. I finished writing on Halloween of 2019, but COVID interfered with Bastian and my plans for a recording. The piece collected dust for a few years, and I began to question if it was worthy of publication anyway. That’s the way these things go sometimes.
Two years later, in the fall of 2021, I received a message from Bastian saying that he’d finally been able to schedule a recording! Bastian’s video ended up being wonderful, and I was finally able to get the piece published. I had all but given up on this piece seeing the light of day, but now it’s out there and has seen some excellent performances.