touch not the cat (2015) 2'

program note

touch not the cat is a 50th birthday present for Evelyn Glennie, a great percussionist and a great friend. Years ago I had the opportunity to write her a concerto for seven tambourines and orchestra, called loud love songs, and I thought I would remember that concerto with this short tambourine solo. One of the things I love about Evelyn is hearing her talk – she has a melodious voice and I wanted to take advantage of it. I thought how nice it would be for her to speak and have the tambourine be a kind of echo or shadow of her speaking voice. The question then was what she should say. Evelyn is, of course, from Scotland. My wife is a huge fan of Scottish lore and she reminded me of how colorful the mottos of the Scottish clans are. I took my fifty favorite clan mottos, changing them slightly by putting them in the first person, so that a single performer might use them better as a description of her or his own personal attributes. Happy birthday, Evelyn!