Mediaries

for 37-reed sheng.

This work was inspired by Paul Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook, my former teacher Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, and the latter’s reverence for this document and Klee’s work in general. Sibyl Moholy-Nagy wrote an eloquent introduction to the 1960 edition of the Sketchbook, where she describes Klee’s unique style as “pictorial composition that uses the identifiable natural shape as mediary.” This piece for solo 37-reed sheng uses the sketchbook as inspiration for not only the musical motifs but additionally the way in which certain passages are notated.

“Mediaries” was partially written during my time as an artist-in-residence at the Wildacres Retreat in North Carolina. It was written for Li-Chin Li as part of the Seed 2024 Virtual Composition Academy. The accompanying picture is from Paul Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook.