“5 Quiet Machines” is a version of an earlier work on mine “5 Machines,” which was originally written for the Bang On a Can All-Stars, as part of the Bang On A Can’s People’s Commissioning Fund.  When Real Quiet requested a version for their own ensemble, I was able to focus on the interaction of the lines and create a more pure version of the music.  As in the original, it’s five movements are built more like machines, rather than musical episodes.  The players work together in tight formation, creating musical lines by close interaction with each other; each musician plays a fundamental role with the others.  The Cello line might have notes that turn a wheel that connects to the Marimba, which in turn provides a springboard for the Piano and Bass Clarinet, which then triggers the Electric Guitar and Bass to alternate notes in-between.  All the musicians fit together very closely in this fashion and each plays their role in the larger machine that they all form together.  The parts themselves do not reveal this overall musical structure; only when combined does the musical architecture come forth.

-MM