Music Resource Item Type Metadata
Composer
Curtis, Mike (b. 1952).
Gender
Male
Work
Variations for the Right Hand. Eugene, OR: MSS Publishing.
Duration
6 minutes
Description
This piece was composed in 1999, and premiered on January 25, 2000 by Jon Beebe. The music is moderately challenging, pitch-centric, and contains some extended techniques. The range is limited to C4. The composer wrote of this piece:
Variations for the Right Hand was a composition project born out of adversity. Restricted in the use of his left arm by a bout of tendinitis, Mike took on the challenge of writing for a bassoonist limited to fingering only with one hand. In exploring the restriction to only nine of the bassoon’s usual 36 written tones, he uncovered unexpected emotive qualities in the false fingerings, multiphonics, and microtonal trills that emerged.
Variations for the Right Hand was a composition project born out of adversity. Restricted in the use of his left arm by a bout of tendinitis, Mike took on the challenge of writing for a bassoonist limited to fingering only with one hand. In exploring the restriction to only nine of the bassoon’s usual 36 written tones, he uncovered unexpected emotive qualities in the false fingerings, multiphonics, and microtonal trills that emerged.
Date Range of Work
1999