“Still” is based on the theme (and some bits of accompaniment) from an unfinished gamelan piece of the same name that I originally started about two decades ago. I stopped working on the piece when I was no longer performing with the gamelan orchestra (Venerable Showers of Beauty, www.gamelan.info/), as I no longer had access to the instruments. When in late 2006 I decided to re-tackle the work, I took only those aforementioned kernels as my starting point in developing a work aimed specifically for a percussion trio. I wanted to keep much of the gamelan feel and so kept the main theme simple and “unresolved” in Western musical terms. I did not “develop” the melody, nor write a counter melody, but tried to write all the parts combining some of the idioms found in Balinese or Javanese gamelan music mixed with my own voice. I also tried to give each player a different set of challenges (especially in their solos) to make the music interesting both to perform and to watch in performance. I hope I have succeeded.
This piece has never been performed live, as it was only completed 24 Jan. 2007. The CD enclosed is performed through the Sibelius 4 notation software, in which this was composed.
