Description
CANE for Bassoon and Piano tells a dramatic story of one bassoon reed’s journey from its origins as raw, organic cane to the final joy of playing on the finished reed. Originally for reed quintet, this version with piano and virtuosic solo bassoon intermingle in this through-composed piece to take the listener through this vivid experience. Rhythm, lyrical lines, extended techniques, Afro-Cuban style music, jazz and fugue join together to remind us that this is an organic process. From making reeds to making music, we come together to create performance. Ever changing and ever evolving, every reed and every performance is unique, and CANE promises to tell this story in a powerful and exciting new way.
There are several sections in this through-composed work, taking us on a journey that is the life of a bassoon reed:
I. Split: short and percussive, like splitting cane
II. Gouge: Rhythmic, steady and driving. Removing and leaving…
III. Shape
Iv. Profile: Mechanical, with a little bit of mischief
V. Form: The cane becomes a reed (Internal/external sounds of transition)
VI. Scrape: In the style of Afro-Cuban music
VII. Playing the reed: Swing, sassy; thoughtful, reflective; with reverence; the reed plays…
The reed quintet version was co-commissioned in 2018 by Dr. Christin Schillinger and the Akropolis Reed Quintet. The bassoon and piano version was supported by a commissioning consortium in 2025.
Duration approximately 20 minutes.
Performance Notes:
In VI. Scrape – there are special techniques and additional percussion instruments needed to create a rhythm section:
- Two equal pieces of cane, played like claves by the bassoonist
- Sanding blocks with sandpaper played by the bassoonist
- Prepared piano: In m. 336-353 the pianist places tuning wedges/pencil erasers in between the strings of B-flat 7
- In measure 362-378 the pianist places two pieces of paper on the piano to the right of the stand. Shift the paper in time; both pieces of paper do not need to move to be effective. It should sound like sandpaper
