Purity

Molly Joyce

2020

Vibraphone

Purity seeks to play with the pure sound of the vibraphone and specifically through prepared notes with foil which gradually enter. The vibraphone has traditionally been one of my favorite percussion instruments to write for in chamber and large ensemble contexts, however this was my first time writing it for a solo player. I thus wanted to highlight my love of the vibraphone’s pure, pitched sound but also explore the varying additional timbres it offers, such as with the sustain pedal and with preparation of aluminum foil under and/or around the keyboard bars. Therefore through incorporating, I hope to add a visual element to vibraphone playing of the seen/unseen and the sound one expects to hear from such, as well as truly amplifying and distorting such pure sound to new possibilities.
Purity was commissioned by Bang on a Can with support from Raulee Marcus, and written for and dedicated to David Cossin.