Description
Click here to view the perusal score for Parades Into the Void.
Commissioned by Jordan Aileen Wainwright.
Program notes:
Close your eyes.
In the depths of your mind, imagine yourself within the forbidding stone walls of a cemetery. The moon shines bright above you, and around you, something is beginning to stir. You turn to the crypt behind you, and just beyond its walls, you see just a hint of movement. You look to your left, and there’s another. Behind you, still another. At first, it’s just an impression of a jacket here, a flash of a hand there, but as they adjust to your presence, the creatures emerge.
Your transparent ghostly friends, their original colors muted and drab, begin to shuffle past you. They know you’re there, and normally they’d greet you, but for once, you aren’t their focus. No, they’re heading for something more important than a measly human, and as you look over your shoulder, you see why: someone or something has torn a dark, gaping hole in reality and is beckoning the ghosts to something more.
You shut your eyes tight to ward against the pull of this portal, and out of the spirits around you, you begin to hear the sounds of an unearthly processional. You see, tonight, your cemetery filled up, and it’s time for your ghosts to go home.
Notes to the performers:
Parades Into the Void is a quasi-interactive piece for trombone, piano, and an unseeing audience. In short, it is best experienced with eyes closed. Please encourage your audience to keep their eyes closed for the duration of the piece; you could make a note in your program, an announcement before the performance, or, if you’re feeling extra fun, recite the program notes above as a sort of prologue to the music. Because the trombonist moves around during the piece, an unseeing audience will be immersed in this parade of ghosts, magnifying the effects provided in the music.
The trombonist should ultimately decide their own placement for each new position based on the constraints of their venue and their comfortability moving through space somewhat quickly (and as quietly as possible). In some performance situations, beginning offstage may not be possible; however, I encourage you to create a spatial progression that you feel best serves the narrative while maintaining the quality of your performance. Due to the short amount of time between positions 3 and 4, I have indicated in the sheet music that position 4 is entirely optional. Your safety is paramount, performers; if you don’t have the room to explore a fourth place or revisit an earlier position, stay where you are!
Also worth noting within the music are the use of flutter tongue (three slashes through the stem) and sung multiphonics (the diamond notehead is sung). In the event that you are unable to flutter tongue, a growl is the preferred substitute. Should the multiphonics be out of your vocal range, octave transpositions are appropriate and welcome.
(Notes continue in the score)
Run time: approx. 4’20”. Trombone range: G2-F4.
If you perform this piece, link me the recording and I might put it here!
May I chop up your program notes?
Answer: Please don’t! My notes are in many cases my only opportunity to speak directly to your audience. If limited program space is a consideration, consider linking them to this page via a QR code and/or reading them aloud for your audience during your set. (In this case, I HIGHLY recommend reading them aloud to your audience immediately before the piece is performed—it helps set the mood.)
Can I download materials forever? (or: I can’t download my materials anymore! Help!)
Answer: As long as my website is functional and the materials are stored there, yes. HOWEVER, I strongly encourage all performers to download all your performance materials immediately after purchase—technical difficulties can occur on both my end and yours, and I’d hate to leave you without your materials if a problem arises! NOTE: An updated 2026 edition of this piece, with new edits AND a hyperlegible edition for folks who may benefit from it, has replaced the old file. If you purchased Parades Into the Void previously (for any instrumentation) and can no longer access your materials, please drop me an email using the information on my Contact page. Include a copy of the invoice or receipt you got with your original purchase and be sure “replacement score” is in the subject line for a faster resolution!
What is the Atkinson Hyperlegible edition?
Answer: The Atkinson Hyperlegible edition is a new, second version of the score that delivers along with my original. This edition exclusively uses a typeface (Atkinson Hyperlegible) that is designed to be friendlier for low-vision and dyslexic folks. It automatically delivers with all scores composed in 2025 or later, and I am in the process of retroactively adding these additions for new purchases of older works. If you have previously purchased or commissioned a piece of mine and would benefit from an Atkinson Hyperlegible edition, please drop me an email using the information on my Contact page and I will get you a PDF ASAP at no charge!
Known performances:
- 10/25/2019, Jordan Aileen Wainwright, CSU Fullerton (world premiere)
About the current cover photo:
Taken by me in the Pacific Northwest, on unceded Upper Chinook and Chinuk Wawa land.
Previous editions (before 2026) included a stock photo. To ensure that no generative AI art is used in my covers, I am transitioning to entirely self-made art for my covers as I capture appropriate photos (or rediscover them in my camera roll).
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