crab cat code (2023)

for saenghwang/sheng, viola, and cello

OR

彷徨えるカニ・wandering crab (2023)

for ryūteki, hichiriki, and shō

cover art for each version by devon osamu tipp

program note:

since coming out as nonbinary two years ago, my relationship to my immediate surroundings changed significantly from day to day. as a biracially ambiguous Asian American musician and self-taught artist living in Western Pennsylvania, i’ve never truly understood how I am supposed to fit in. in public where I cannot be myself, I code switch. In the company of friends and family however I will return to walking sideways like a crab or hold my hands up like a cat. these regular communication changes are now a part of my everyday life and are the artistic inspiration for this piece.

one of the unique facets of this piece is that the mouth organ part (saenghwang, shō, sheng) all use the exact same fingering patterns and essentially can be played on any of these instruments, hence the different compositions with the same name.

caT craB codE/wandering crab is structured around an increasingly complex melody that is integrated with mixed meters that represent frequent code switching that happens in everyday life. both pieces are approximately 9 minutes in length

彷徨えるカニ wandering crab (shō version) is dedicated to Nakamura Hitomi 中村仁美

a new version for sheng, viola, and cello is in progress

if interested in purchasing parts/audio score for this work, please contact me