Paul Hughes

Plaything

The primary compositional focus in this childlike rhythmic piece is the intervallic fourth which is utilised throughout. Using a walking bass line as a reference point, various relatively complicated and heavily accented rhythms are played by the upper three voices, interrupted with a playful quality with homophonic rising or falling consecutive chord passages in all four parts. This particular idea (essentially the nuclei of the piece) stemmed from improvising at the piano? Deliberately reflecting a child's natural changing absorption in different things, there are a number of contrasting sudden changes within the piece, both in terms of skittish key shifts as well as the use of much slower paced, but nevertheless slightly mischievous sections. Paul Hughes