Whispers of Uncertainty

Whispers of Uncertainty was during my senior year of college. I had a clear plan for my future, yet different interests created forks and indecisiveness in my path. I reached each fork in the road filled with anxiety and unsureness. Should I continue my education? Should I find a teaching position? The feeling of uncertainty continued to grow as time continued to tick away. Even in the midst of certainty, I heard whispers of uncertainty.

The concept of time passing is paramount to this piece. Time is represented by short, staccato notes often on C. The note C often represents “the plan” with rhythms and pitches outside of C often representing a deviation from that path. The melody represents the heavy weight of carrying this anxiety and worry. The uncertainty grows and decays over time, eventually erupting into a spiral of indecisiveness. The ending depicts a battle in the mind between anxiety and ease, eventually reaching the climax of releasing all worries and following whatever opportunities arise.

Instrumentation:

Flutes

Oboes

Bb Clarinets 1 & 2

Bassoons

F Horns 1 & 3

F Horns 2 & 4

Bb Trumpets

Trombones

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion 1 (Vibraphone, Chimes, Sus. Cymbal, Snare Drum)

Percussion 2 (Bells, Sus. Cymbal, Crash Cymbals)

Percussion 3 (Waterphone, Tam-tam, Bass Drum)

Strings