composer

Hoekstra, Sipke

related works

Sonatina : for two oboes and piano / Sipke Hoekstra

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring: 2ob pf

six pièces mécaniques : for six players / Ned McGowan

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

The Trouble with Innocence : for ensemble / Chiel Meijering

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring: flt, cl.Bb, vln, vlc,pf

Versleuteling : for bass trombone, guitar and piano / Arend Gerds

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring: trb-b g pf

composition

Spectrum a 4 : Quartet for flute, oboe, marimba and piano / Sipke Hoekstra

Description:
A young ensemble, made up of a rather unusual combination of instruments, aptly bestowed upon itself the name ‘Colori Ensemble’ – and asked for a new piece. During the creative process of composing this work, the name of this colourful ensemble made simple questions emerge, like: what, for instance, is colour? What is sound? How are they related?
Light consists of waves. Waves of those frequencies of light we humans, with our relatively limited eyesight, are permitted to see. Waves of frequencies? Sounds familiar? Indeed, colours are not the only things made out of frequency waves: sound is as well. Because sound is a vibration, always propelling itself in a typical waveform. As is the case with light, those frequencies are measured in ‘hertz’; different hertz, and thereby different frequency, produces different colour and sound. More importantly: both light and sound are quintessential to us, humans, for obvious reasons. They are at the core of our very existence; enabling life, feeding not only our stomachs, but also our hearts and souls.
A title for the work arose, ‘Spectrum’ meaning a definable set of something, consisting of seemingly endless varieties. As such the word is perhaps most widely known in relation to light. Apart from that, ‘Spectrum’, in its original Latin meaning, meant ‘image’, but ‘ghost’ or ‘apparition’ as well. In the 19th century, Goethe and Schopenhauer used the word to scientifically designate certain optical phenomena. But as scientific understanding of light as a waveform grew, the term became also applicable to sound.
In this piece spectra of instrumentational colour and compositional technique and styling can be found. Techniques and styles involved, for instance, are medieval hoquetus, renaissance imitation, baroque rhythmic patterns, bits of classical formal structures, variation techniques, (post)romantic lyricism, hints of impressionist harmony, neoclassicist wit, some jazz harmony and occasionally a minimalistic approach to material usage.
Why the ‘a 4’? It’s a referral to the old counterpoint forms, in which a composer used to indicate the number of voices needed for his motet, fugue or canon. Counterpoint plays a significant role in the piece, tying the instrumental ‘roles’ together and inviting them into an eloquent conversation of equals.
Sipke Hoekstra
Bilthoven, Winter 2016