Snake (2023)
A Steampunk Story for Narrator, Single Line Instrument, and Percussion Quartet
For:
Narrator, Single Line Instrument in Any Octave-PercI:bass drum, snare drum, tenor drum-PercII:triangle, cymbals, tam-tam, guiro-PercIII:temple blocks, castanets, claves, anvil-PercIV: maracas, tambourine, snadpaper blocks (No.6 grade)
Year: 2023
Duration: 13’
Text: Sara Swan Miller (E)
Dedication: “Commissioned by Martin Miller in memory of Sara Swan Miller, 2023.”
First Performance:
Publisher: Peermusic Classical
Program Note:
The story of the snake and the mouse in a trap or barn is a classic fable (often blending motifs from The Farmer and the Snake, or poetic tales like Vikram Seth's The Mouse and the Snake) where a clever mouse and a hungry snake are confined together. The mouse promises to free the snake if the snake spares its life, but once the escape hole is made, the snake tries to eat the mouse anyway, proving that deceitful predators cannot be trusted.
