The Muse Of Distraction

Winner of the 2009 MTNA Composition Competition, promising young composer Joshua Green gives us a striking new work for clarinet, cello and piano, borne of an unlikely muse. According to the composer: For the better part of three months I fought an exasperating battle. While trying to compose a piece for clarinet, cello, and piano, a plethora of distractions had consumed my mind. This frustration seemed to amplify with the amount of time that passed. It was then that the following quotation came to my attention: "Life does not consist mainly, or even largely of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one's head."-MarkTwain. And so The Muse of Distraction was born. Rather than trying to fight the "storm of thoughts," I allowed myself to compose a piece that embraced the frustration and irritation of those previous three months. Eventually these distractions were no longer my adversary. They became my muse." For advanced players.