... In Circles

Description

Flute 1, Piccolo, Flute 2, Alto Flute, Bass Flute — “Left to their own devices, things tend to move in circles.”The above inscription is my paraphrase of Galileo Galilei’s conclusion upon his observations of the movement of the stars and planets. His deduction was, of course, incorrect. Isaac Newton had the right of it. So there is an element of irony in this title, which may provide some insight into the music. On the other hand, I thought it was such a beautiful and lyrical thought, I couldn’t resist the impulse to spend a few minutes reflecting on it with notes and rhythms.— Russell Scarbrough Scarbrough’s 7-minute quartet is a musical response to Galileo’s theory of heavenly motion, "Left to their own devices, things tend to move in circles." In light of Newton having proven Galileo incorrect, the composer has written, "…there is an element of irony in this title, which provides some insight into the music. It struck me as such a beautiful and lyrical thought, I couldn’t resist the impulse to spend a few minutes reflecting on it with notes and rhythms." …In Circles was premiered at the 2017 NFA Convention by Tereasa Payne, Kathryn Scarbrough, Ali Ryerson, and Chris Potter.