The Music of Stuart Jones

Intermezzo

DoublePlay, a percussion duo formed by my good friends Stephen Paysen and Dominic Donato, decided to commission a number of composer to write two minute pieces for two marimbas. It was a daring idea since they then combined the various short pieces into a suite that they performed in concert. The stylistic differences between the composers formed an intriguing pastiche of ideas, where each composer had the same amount of time to express her or his individual ideas.

My contribution, Intermezzo For Two Marimbas, was begun not long after the death of my teacher, mentor and dear friend Jack Lessard (who also was commissioned by DoublePlay for this suite of pieces). Late in his compositional life, Jack became fascinated by tone clusters and found a unique way of employing major thirds in his music. Intermezzo employs these same techniques, albeit in a personal way, in tribute to Jack’s wonderful lifetime and to our friendship.

Performances

• DoublePlay (Dominic Donato and Stephen Paysen), SUNY-Purchase, Purchase, NY Sep 15, 2003
• DoublePlay, Symphony Space, New York, NY Oct 21, 2003
• DoublePlay, Lumen Music Concert, Arlington, MA Mar 21, 2004

---

Tweet