Tidal Movements (2012)
for Double Bass Quartet

World Premiere:
February 17, 2013
Louisiana Bass Fest Concert
SOM Recital Hall, School of Music, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Yung-Chiao Wei, John Madere, Yi-Jung Su, Yun-Chieh Chou, basses

Duration: 11 minutes

Program Notes

I was selected to participate in the project for the double bass studio of Robert Black at the Hartt School, and it is my pleasure to write a chamber work for basses. Tidal Movements for double bass quartet is the piece composed under the circumstances.

Mostly, the shoreline has at least one high tide and one low tide each day. Somehow the ongoing tidal current becomes slack in order to change its direction. I found it is quite interesting and have attempted to represent the gesture of daily tides at the seashore in my music. Beginning with a pizzicato walking bass, Tidal Movements uses a regular ostinato, which quickly becomes unstable. It gradually reaches high tide by extending the range and speeding up the rhythmic patterns. Between tides, there are several chorale sections for the slack water to turn into different gestures. For me, when the rumbling of the bass becomes more and more fierce, it also serves as a trope that suggests a struggle such as when people come to turning points in their lives.

獲選參與美國哈特音樂院低音大提琴教授Robert Black低音大提琴室內樂的委託創作計畫，我譜寫了這首為低音大提琴四重奏的《潮汐運動》。

大部分的海岸線每日至少會有一次的漲潮與退潮，有時候潮汐也會變成比較平靜來預備轉換方向。我發現如果能把每日潮汐的現象譜寫成音樂，應該會相當有趣。《潮汐運動》開始於很規律的撥絃頑固低音，但很快地就變成不穩定。全曲開始逐漸慢慢發展，擴大音域與加速節奏，像似從退潮到漲潮一樣。在每個潮汐之間，有插入一些和絃段落，意指在平潮時刻等待轉變姿態。對我而言，當轟隆作響的低音變得越來越猛烈，就好像人們在面對人生的交叉路口的掙扎心境。

– Feng-Hsu Lee (November 12, 2012 West Hartford, CT)