Gradus I

Instrumentation: violin, cello, piano

Duration: 4.5 minutes

While writing Gradus I, I was somewhat preoccupied with thoughts surrounding my skills as a composer, or lack thereof. Over the past few years, I’ve been striving towards improving as a composer and musician under the guidance of my teacher, Michael Hersch. A brilliant composer, Hersch writes from his brain to the page directly, and has recommended that I do the same for various reasons, which I agree with. While I’m able to do this, it is far more tedious and time-consuming, and often times I have to return to the piano in order to finish pieces on time, thus compromising the process. This piece is partially about this frustration and internal struggle regarding my process as a composer. The title is derived from “Gradus ad Parnassum, ”meaning “steps to Parnassus,” a text written by Fux that sheds light on his study with Palestrina. This piece is another “step” in my never-ending journey of improvement.

Gradus I was written for Ambroise Aubrun, Jennifer Bewerse, and Mari Kawamura, who premiered the work in August, 2024 at the Impulse New Music Festival in Los Angeles, California.

Score to View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YNzD2vNDhrInh77nvcTMF5pvZEIy2L2_/view?usp=drive_link