Composing Fold: Musical Metaphors and Cultural References

The composition Fold is a multi-movement work for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello, piano, and percussion. The music develops from one simple gesture that generates many variations. The gesture symbolizes a folding technique in origami, the pleat fold. The pleat gesture goes through many transformations and evolves into different musical ideas that carry various metaphorical meanings such as the concept of time, the devotion to craftsmanship, and the physical and mental deterioration of a person. The musical materials form a piece about the changing relationship between a craftsperson and their craft over the span of their creative life. Chinese ci poetry informs the structure of this piece on macro and micro levels. This document examines the compositional processes of Fold and explains how musical metaphors and cultural references are used in her creative output.