SIGNAL

For Piano Solo
Written in 2021 in residence at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation
​Commissioned by Nic Gerpe for Makrokosmos 50
Duration: 4 minutes

After Crucifixus from Makrokosmos I by George Crumb
Premiere recording by Nic Gerpe

The Score

Score with performance instructions and program note is available from the composer.

Program Note and Symbolism

Written after Crumb's Crucifixus movement, the score for SIGNAL is modeled on the modern Wi-Fi logo, symbolizing our desire for connection with one another. The repeated Eb-F tones that occur throughout the piece (both as harmonics and as regular notes) symbolize our desire for connection and our efforts to reach out to find it. The playing sequence of the systems (A-B-C-D-A) also symbolizes reaching out in search of connection and reflects the typical digital animation of the wi-fi symbol that gives the score its shape. The melody that emerges in systems B, C, and D represents our emotional desire to connect as well as our struggle to find our place in a world in which technology plays a massive and hugely influential role in how we communicate with one another. The fff perfect-fifth flourishes represent points of contact – successful connections. But how meaningful are these connections? They progressively change how we feel and experience the following music and leave us wanting more. They also drift further and further apart over the course of the piece as a product of the wi-fi symbol’s structure, perhaps suggesting that while technology can bring us closer, and while we feel the constant need to be connected, relying too much on technology for our most meaningful communication can actually put distance between us.