Birdwing

Composed in 1996, this piece was commissioned by the International Computer Music Association for the 1996 International Computer Music Conference in Hong Kong. The tape part was made at the Winham Laboratories, Princeton University.

The piece is for shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and tape. It reflects my love of the instrument and especially the traditional honkyoku repertoire. I began studying shakuhachi in 1996 in preparation for composing Birdwing and continue to play the instrument. The piece is dedicated to my friend and teacher Tomie Hahn.

Site for Birdwing at the AMC Online Library (includes an excerpt of the score)

1.

I am lucky to be at the lake so early, while everything is frozen and unmoving: I can see the three little marks a sparrow's wing left in the snow.

In a moment the wind will blow over them and they will be gone.

2.

We know of a place where woodcocks live. They are secretive and mysterious birds. Every spring we go to witness their nocturnal flight.

To do this requires standing in an open field at dusk and waiting: waiting for the daytme birds to go to sleep, waiting for stillness, waiting for the sun and the moon. Only when it is too dark to see will they appear. You can't see them, but you can hear the songs their wings make as they fly, spiralling up and then dropping down.

One year we stood and waited, but they were not there. Neither seen nor heard, the birds flew only in our memories, their wings whistling.

-- James Pritchett

An excerpt from Riley Lee's recording of Birdwing: MP3

An excerpt of the score for the piece is available for download in PDF format from NewMusicJukebox here.

On Centaur Records: ICMA Commission Awards, 1994-96 (CDCM Computer Music Series Vol. 25, 1997). Tomie Hahn, shakuhachi.

On One World Music:Riley Lee: A Compilation (Volume 2). Riley Lee, shakuhachi.