Picnic at Packanack

We cannot soak in the same jacuzzi twice.
—Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

First, there was the piece I wrote for my handbell choir:  Pavane (Memories of Packanack Lake).  Then there was the remix of excerpts from rehearsal takes of the Pavane, to which I added (treated) vocalizations and my blue plastic recorder.  Then I decided that I wanted to add a gloss in the form of four phrases (and a final cadence) played by a live quartet:  Kurosawa’s Scarecrow (Memories of Packanack Lake).  The k a rl h e nn i ng Ensemble will perform this on our October program at King’s Chapel.

Sunday (I believe it was) I composed phrases 1 & 2.

Monday was true to its nature, and when I returned home late in the afternoon, the experience of the workday fell a good deal short of the descriptor invigorating.  In fact, the rocking motion of the bus as it lurched along I-93 lulled me to sleep.  Once at home, I was more than half-inclined to just laze through the evening, but then I thought, I can manage one of the remaining phrases . . . and so I did.

Tuesday evening, I wrapped up phrase 4 and the final cadence, began the process of populating the parts with cues.

Earlier today, I had the idea of an alternate scoring (string quartet), and I have just finished that adaptation.