Deuce

 
DEUCE, for baroque flute, harpsichord and tape
Deuce takes its starting point from two related gestures: that of a ball being batted back and forth, and the sound of it bouncing to a stop on a hard surface. The former provides the rhythmic impetus for much of the piece, while the latter generates the structure, in this way: initially, longer sections, each with a clearly defined sound world, alternate in gradually diminishing durations, until the disparate sounds intermingle in quick-fire juxtaposition, moving at last into a sustained finish (the ball bounces more and more quickly, then rolls away.)
The sounds on the tape were largely derived from recordings of the instruments of Jane Chapman and Eleanor Dawson (harpsichord and baroque flute respectively.) These recordings were made in summer in non-sound proofed conditions and were thus liberally scattered with birdsong. I decided to make a virtue of this by using these ’extraneous’ sounds to develop the pitch material of the piece. I was greatly aided inthis by a very insistent blackbird who sang outside my window as I worked; he also found his way onto the tape.
Deuce was commissioned by Eleanor Dawson in 1992 with funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain and received its premiere performance in Belfast in March, 1993.