This is a collection of large ensemble works composed between 2011-2016. Below are the program notes for each piece. All downloads include PDF scores for each piece.
Aperture Assonance (2016):
Through spectral analysis, synthesis, and manipulation, I incorporate the transient and resonant sounds of tap dance into an acoustic piece, Aperture Assonance, for chamber orchestra. By means of abstraction, I explore the idioms of tap dance through distortions, common to practices of spectral composition. The title, metaphorically, refers to the small opening through which light travels (an aperture) and the manipulation of that light to create a resemblance of like-sounds (assonance). Instead of light, however, I treat sound as the source that travels through the, metaphorical, aperture.
The pitch and rhythmic material were derived from the analysis of me dancing. The frequencies discovered were approximated to the nearest quarter-tone (24-tone equal temperament). These approximations served as a reservoir of pitch material to be explored throughout Aperture Assonance.
Formally, the piece unfolds through explorations of the transient (the attack that instigates a sound) and resonant (the sustain that occurs after the instigation) properties of my tap dance recordings. By separating the transience from the resonance, I am able to isolate or rearrange each element to create new, musical gestures. For example, the transience and resonance may be reversed where the resonance instigates the gesture and the transient ends it.
In a fractal manner, many gestures from the motivic, cellular level were rhythmically augmented to serve on the phrasal, mid-level form or become part of a larger texture. The macro level of the piece is divided into three sections: Transience, Resonance, and Transience Through Resonance.
The abstraction of this material allows for differing, sonic interpretations. Because of the unique sounds created through tap dance, Aperture Assonance serves as a model for further transient and resonant exploration through the investigation of non-musical sounds.
...in inky night... (2015):
...in inky night..." is a quote from Jack Kerouac's On the Road. In the novel, Kerouac periodically uses this phrase, or a variant thereof, to describe the American sky at night:
"Every bump, rise, and stretch in it mystified my longing. In inky night we crossed New Mexico..."
"And now we shot in inky darkness through the scream of insects, and the great, rank, almost rotten smell descended..."
Growing up, I would often camp and backpack around the American South during the summer months. No matter where I was, the sky was always saturated "in inky darkness" at night.
Matingkad (2014):
Tagalog for "bright", Matingkad explores slight changes in color and texture through the expansion and collapse of the harmonic spectrum. The piece unfolds in three, contrasting sections based, proportionally, on the Fibonacci series.
Ang Alamat Ng Araw at Gabi (2011):
Noong unang panahon ay panay na liwanag at walang dilim, sapagkat sina adlaw at Bulaw ay mag-asawang maligayang namumuhay. Sila aynagkaroon ng maraming anak. Ang kanilang anak ay mga at bituin na nagkakalat kung kaya't lalong nagliwanag sa kalangitan.
Minsan ay nagkagalit nang malubha ang mag-asawa na humantong sa paghihiwalay. Pinamili ang mga anak kung kanino sasama. Sapagkat mas mabait ang ina, sa kanya sumama ang lahat ng mga tala at bituin. walang nagawa si Adlaw kundi tanggapin ang kanyang kapalaran. Simula noon, kapag araw mag-isang nagbibigay liwang si Adlaw. At kung gabing madilim tulong-tulong na nagpapaliwanag ang mag-iinang Bulan, mga tala at bituin.
Once, the Sun and the Moon were married, and they had many children; the stars. The Sun was very fond of his children, but whenever hetried to embrace any of them, he was so hot that he burned them up. This made the Moon so angry that finally she forbade him to touch them again, and he was greatly grieved.
One day the Moon went down to the spring to do some washing, and when she left she told the Sun that he must not touch any of their children in her absence. When she returned, however, she found that he had disobeyed her, and several of the children had perished. She was very angry, and picked up a banana tree to strike him, whereupon he threw sand in her face, and to this day you can see the dark marks on the face of the Moon. Then the Sun started to chase her, and they have been going ever since. Sometimes he gets so near that he almost catches her, but she escapes, and by and by she is far ahead again.
credits
released May 7, 2019
all compositions by Joshua Marquez
"Aperture Assonance" and "...in inky night..." recorded by the Center for New Music at the University of Iowa; David Gompper, conductor
"Matingkad" recorded by Ensemble 319; Joshua Marquez, conductor
"Ang Alamat Ng Araw at Gabi" recorded by the Gate City Camerata; Mark Engebretson, conductor
recorded at the University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA (2014-2016) and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro; Greensboro, NC (2011)
Joshua Marquez is an experimental composer, guitarist, improviser based in Philadelphia, PA. Hailed as "cutting-edge" (The
Gazette) and "creepy" (The Daily Iowan), Marquez deconstructs sound with innovative textures, exploring the liminal space of his Filipino-American heritage.
Tim Hecker's "Virgins" is my favorite release by this artist. The album feels so intimate and I discover things with each listen. The juxtaposition of textures is so fresh and adventurous, yet cozy. Joshua Marquez
One of many immerse experiences given to us by 'a beautiful burning world'. This, in addition to the rest of the catalog, is a stunning listen. Joshua Marquez
Gregg Belisle-Chi's ensō is such an intricately designed listening experience. The trio's dynamic range makes the peaks and valleys of this album really stand out. Joshua Marquez
C. Diab describes “Exit Rumination” as “a sonic exorcism,” and its dark, swelling songs are equal parts catharsis and tension. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 26, 2018
