Cog in a Machine

The intersection between arts and technology has always been a big part of my life, and I constantly find myself drawn to the impact it has had on humanity. In my mind one cannot exist without the other – technology pushing artists to engage with new and novel mediums of expression, and art spurring the inspiration for new technologies.

Cog in a Machine is a series of five movements each depicting some kind of influential technology or invention throughout human history. The first movement, Clock, is a prelude depicting the slow yet inevitable ticking of time, using both archaic and timeless harmonies. The constant momentum of Train is presented in the steady repeated notes, hearing its chugging and whistling distantly before it catches up. The piano becomes a metal detector in the third movement Radar, repeating the note C at varying speeds while the other instruments try to find it. The other instruments meander around, finally “finding” C at the end of the movement. Assembly Line begins with an ostinato played by the piano, cello, and bass clarinet, which is broken up by interjections from the violin and flute before they all converge into a rhythmic chordal section. Finally, the piece ends with Computer, which begins with the piano summarizing every previous movement’s themes in a free solo. This transitions into an unrelenting rondo that propagates streams of information in the form of notes.