The Frame Problem (2003)
for percussion trio
LISTEN
Jeremy Brunk, percussion
Rick Kurasz, percussion
Tony Oliver, percussion
Rick Kurasz, percussion
Tony Oliver, percussion
WATCH
The Trap Trio
Ricky Bracamontes, percussion
Taylor Davis, percussion
Aaron Raney, percussion
Ricky Bracamontes, percussion
Taylor Davis, percussion
Aaron Raney, percussion
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PROGRAM NOTE
The Frame Problem, composed in 2003, was commissioned by a consortium of percussion ensembles from Iowa State University, Susquehanna University, Truman State University, University of Akron, University of Illinois, University of Northern Iowa, University of North Florida, University of Southern Mississippi, Western Illinois University, and William Patterson University. The work's instrumentation comprises multiple "trios": each player performs on a trio of woods, metals, or small drums, while a fourth trio—of larger drums—is distributed between the three parts. The work, a strict circular canon (each part is identical, merely starting from a different point on a looped continuum), also incorporates a paradigmatic "trio of trios" into its large-scale structure: a particularly explosive and distinct section of the work occurs three times in each part (nine times, therefore, in total), functioning as a kind of "keystone.” Over the span of the work, this short section is heard twice as a solo (once in the metals; once in the small drums), twice as a duet between players (woods and small drums; woods and metals), and finally as a trio that concludes the work. The title refers to a primary difficulty in designing robots and computer programs with "artificial intelligence." Human brains have a remarkable ability to "frame" information: in an instant, we are able to observe and organize an enormous amount of data, sorting and categorizing what is relevant and what is not. When listening to music, one of the primary hierarchical "frames" we create is that of meter. In this percussion trio, multiple distinct meters occur concurrently—in different lines, at constantly shifting dynamic levels, and in different timbral aggregations—providing human listeners with the opportunity to resolve multiple overlapping “frames” simultaneously. Robots in the audience will probably just be confused.