Indie Ditties
(2014-17)
twelve scapes for piano
I. Grease On The Handlebars II. organic, VG, fair trade III. Bad Appletude IV. 20/20 frames V. HRH Prince Albert VI. ... my love is like a dead, dead pose... VII. Crucifixie VIII. skinny, skinny jeans IX. ... for the freak shall inherit the earth... X. Bob Springmones Holed My Pink Stones XI. Microbrew IV XII. Too Much Ink
premiered in part by Ryan MacEvoy McCullough (X, XI, XII) on 20 Oct 2016 at Carriage House Hayloft, Ithaca NY, USA and by various high school students in 2014-26 at various Sydney schools
premiered in full by Ryan MacEvoy McCullough on 30 March 2017 at Barnes Hall Auditorium, Cornell University, ayloft, Ithaca NY, USA
released by Navona Records on the album Hipster Zombies From Mars
featured in Rob Hao ~ Indie Ditties, Rob Hao Premieres Vines’ Indie Ditties
recordings: Spotify Apple Music YouTube
score available through The Australian Music Centre
duration: 45’
genre: Solo
category: Ambrosia, Utile Dulci
Indie Ditties is essentially a book of preludes for piano in the classical tradition, with twelve movements, each in a different 'key'. Like Debussy, the notion of key is substituted for a space with a specific tonal centre, around which a variety of scales, modes et al are explored. Like Chopin or J.S.Bach, these tonal centres are organised in a strict pattern; in this case, based on thirds.
The overarching title refers to ideas, objects, situations, etc. - twelve 'scapes', each of which has its own title - which reflect the now familiar phenomenon of indie/ alternative/ hipster culture. My take on it is complex: part fascination, part affection, part puzzlement and part satire. It's probably mostly the last, but like with hipsterdom itself, an exact stance is hard to articulate…
Some effort has gone into designing Indie Ditties to be performed as a complete or partial cycle. Nevertheless, as the work was written with NSW HSC performance requirements in mind, each movement stands well on its own.
