Stephen Crawford has composed a piece for keyboard percussion trio using techniques reminiscent of American composer John Cage. Rather than being simply a derivative “homage” composition, in which performers would likely be better off going directly to Cage’s works themselves, Crawford uses some of Cage’s hallmark creative approaches to assemble an original work. The most notable of these is the use of chance operations to select pitch sets for each part, with the composer using a six-sided die (in lieu of the usual Cage-ian I Ching method) to select six-note sets.

The piece is set in a through-composed form with sections alternating between unison, hocketed, and chorale-style writing. Each player is given a section in which to improvise. While not a tonal work, the use of repetitive groupings of pitches throughout enables a sense (perhaps subconsciously) of familiarity for the listener that might be less so if free atonality were used. Ironically, the piece ends on a G-flat minor-9 chord that sounds surprisingly cadential!

All parts are playable with two mallets; however, the assignment of chance-selected pitches to some of the rhythms will necessitate experimentation with stickings on the part of the performers, as they might not be immediately apparent or idiomatic, but certainly playable with a little preparation.