Composed in 2022. Commissioned by Trio Modern Harmony and premiered in Seoul, South Korea on December, 2nd 2022.
Program Notes
Modern Harmony for Trumpet, Bass Trombone and Piano is a single movement composition dedicated to and commissioned by Minhwan Lee, Modern Harmony and the Korean Arts Council. The title of the piece is not only a a reference to the name of the chamber group, but the movement is broken into two separate moods that explore four different, contemporary scales throughout. One of my favorite aspects of the global world is that the language of music can be born in one region, yet you will find that same musical aspect found halfway across the world, called by a different name. One musical building block that I think particularly fits this description is the Major and Minor pentatonic sound, a scale that is as utilized as much in Korean folk music as it is in American Jazz. I have also devised two scales of my own that act as reflections for the Major and Minor Pentatonic, which I am dubbing Major and Minor Negatonic Scales. With these four scales combined, the harmonic and melodic structure for the piece was born. The piece also features less then typical percussion, where you will witness the instrumentalist using various, modern hand percussion techniques. In a grander meaning, Modern Harmony represents the harmonious union between the United States of America and South Korea and how the transformative power of music can foster friendship and kinship between anyone!
Shawn W. Davern 