- For flute and percussion (tea cups and trays)
- Premiered November 14, 2014 – Guiyang, China
Tempest in a Teacup creates a musical blending of Canadian and Chinese culture, not through harmonic or rhythmic cultural markers, but rather through that one addiction, comfort and social binder that countries love: Tea.
Growing up in the British tradition on the island of Newfoundland, Tea Time was an obligatory part of every day and I have great memories of sitting in my grandmother’s kitchen drinking the brew from a delicate porcelain cup while dipping fresh biscuits. Upon moving to that great cosmopolitan city which is Toronto, I was exposed to the vast array of not only the variety of teas, but also the ways to prepare, serve and drink it. This simple beverage has certainly been a driving force in human interaction for thousands of years.
In Tempest in a Teacup, the percussionist is required to create a battery using both British and Chinese teacups and a metal serving tray. In addition, a kettle (or multiple kettles) is set to boil near the final third of the piece adding both an aleatoric and thematic element (at one point, the flute must interact with the tone of the kettle’s whistle.)
The phrase “tempest in a teacup” and its variations have been used by numerous cultures for centuries to describe something that has been exaggerated or “blown” out of proportion. While this is the phrase with which I grew up, the parallel saying in China is “wind and waves in a teacup” (茶杯裡的風波). This translation also provided inspiration for some of the wind and wave-like patterns played on the serving tray.
The harmonic and rhythmic language of the piece derives from the techniques available on the cups and tray. The flute mirrors ricochet patterns created by striking the handle of a flexible mallet on the rim of a cup. Striking traditional “handled” British cups as opposed to non-handled Chinese cups creates interesting effects. Unlike the Chinese cups which produce a consistent pitch no matter where struck, handled cups have various “nodes” located around the rim that alternate between two distinct pitches a semi-tone apart. The interval of this semi-tone forms a significant portion of the pieces motivic material.