KOBALT

for woodwind trio and piano | 4’ | 2022

Instrumentation - Flute (+piccolo) | Clarinet (+bass clarinet) | Bassoon | Piano

Premiered June 17, 2024 at the Mostly Modern Festival Chamber Concert by Megan McCafferty (fl), Erin Dowler (cl), Catherine Brenmark (bsn), & Sean MacCarthy-Grant (pno).

difficulty

Moderate - Advanced

Program Notes

Cobalt, the color and the metal, derives from the German Kobalt, which is based on a creature in German folklore known as "kobold". Kobold is a devilish house spirit/sprite that would help complete chores around the home, but also cause mischief in the process (i.e., stealing or hiding items of value, knocking things over, etc.). Some definitions even refer to it as a goblin-like creature. Once they discovered the mysterious metal ore, German miners gave it the name of Kobalt because of their fear of it. They thought it to be a harmful metal that would bring misfortune and harm to one that came in contact with it. That bit of history behind the color and ore gave me many thematic ideas to work with, and this work developed into something so character-driven that it may be one of the more thoughtful and playful pieces I’ve written. 

This piece follows a “kobold” in its mischief. This goblin-esque piece really encapsulates the fun and sort-of creepy aspects of the historical and folkloric nature of the creature. The tight ensemble of the woodwind trio gives a small yet mighty aspect to the work, while the piano helps to fill the gaps with many little punctuations and interjections, signifying a trip or a skip in the journey of this little creature.