Mythical Bagatelle No. 1: Troll

In composing Mythical Bagatelles, I sought to write music with a certain looseness of temporal organization, made especially available by solo instrumentation and consequently the lack of a need to coordinate separate parts, as would be the case in chamber music. The “freedom” of being able to play what you want, when you want, also finds expression in the subject matter of the works: they all feature elements or characters found in fantasy and myth, inviting the performer and audience into an unabashedly imaginative world. Bagatelle No. 1 is titled Troll, and characterizes this creature (actually, two creatures: firstly, the traditional definition, but secondly, the Internet Troll) with lumbering, menacing music that is not free from self-parody. From the Sorcerer’s Tower, instructs the harpist to play “imprisoned, [as if] from a barred window.” The harp becomes a vehicle for self-expression but also a type of “barred window” itself. The final bagatelle, Seeing, is slightly longer and references the legendary ability of dragon blood in Norse mythology to endow those who consume it with superhuman powers of knowledge.