Pulsar (2016)

Written for solo snare drum and electronic accompaniment, Pulsar is the fusion of many influential concepts and musical idioms I’ve studied in recent years. As with many other works of mine, I’ve yet again found astronomical inspiration, this time while watching an episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos reboot. As an extremely dense remnant of a long-gone massive star, a “pulsar” is a highly magnetized neutron star which can rotate between 7,000 and 40,000 times per minute. Combined with this rotation, its colossal density, and intense magnetic

fields, powerful beams of electromagnetic radiation project in all directions of space to act as a sort of galactic lighthouse for distant observers.

In Pulsar, I’ve attempted to mimic this naturally rhythmic characteristic by layering distinct voices as regularly recurring polyrhythms and motifs interacting with the soloist. While the melodic material is quite simple, much of the atmosphere and sound-world I strove to render largely stems from electronic music influence – most notably, Moderat – and its various idioms such as drum ‘n’ bass and breakbeat. Furthermore, the active rhythmic language found in the solo snare drum was inspired by the rudimental style of Michael McIntosh, which I absorbed while a member of the snareline of the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps in

2011 and 2012. Though sections of the work may be dense, I sought to maintain a clear presentation of groove, motivic development, and flow within the interplay between the soloist and the electronic accompaniment.

Pulsar was commissioned by a consortium of percussionists in the summer of 2016: Logan Ball, Nick Bolchoz, Ben Cato, Korry Friend (organizer), Eliot Johnson, Dr. Lamon Lawhorn, Joseph MacMorran, Dr. Brad Meyer, and Russell Wharton.