Radicals

In three movenents, this is a great challenge for any college level Horn Quartet:

I. Alpha

II. Beta

III. Gamma

One afternoon while working my summer job at the Air Force Armament Museum in Eglin, Florida, I was asked to dust off some artifacts in display cases. On the last display on the first half of the building I was stopped by one of my co-workers. He pointed out that this final artifact, a navigation tool, was hazardous because of the radioactive radium paint. This was a fact I was briefed on weeks earlier but had slipped my mind.

“There are three types of radiation”, he explained, “Alpha, which is pretty calm; Beta, which is a little gnarly but still alright. Finally, with Gamma – you’re screwed!”

Radicals follows this same concept musically.  Alpha is simple and serene; the quartet bounces between major triads and slight rhythmic alterations. Beta hinges between cute and troublesome in a squirrely scherzo while Gamma goes off the deep end and is extremely treacherous.

Radicals was premiered on April 5^th, 2014 by Josie Wisser, Emily Judd, John Apostolides, and Katie Rudzik at the University of Central Florida.