Flute (doubles Alto Flute in G), Clarinet in B-flat (doubles Bass Clarinet in B-flat), Violin, Cello, Piano (doubles Maracas), Percussion (2 Bender Gongs, Brake Drum, Maracas, Sizzle Cymbal, Tam-tam, 2 Tom-toms, Wood Block, Xylophone)

The title of this piece comes from II Corinthians 3:3, which reads: “And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” While the title obviously alludes to this verse, the piece does not necessarily seek to paint a picture of exactly what the verse is saying in a programmatic sense – that is, paint the images of the verse in a descriptive manner so that the music tells a story. Rather, I aimed to use untraditional sounds and rhythmic proportions to challenge the notion of “goodness”; this piece asks the question, “What is truly good; what makes goodness inherently good?” Although the piece at first sounds jarring due to the textual/notational translation to derive the pitch sets, ultimately the harmonies used are justified through theoretical means, and the rhythms are derived from a morse-code translation of the verse. The piece has unity and holds itself up, just as the “letter from Christ” shares these traits, although it may not always be obvious.

On Tablets of Human Hearts was commissioned by Standing Wave Ensemble, who gave the world premiere in Vancouver, BC, on April 13, 2014.

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