Serendipity and Household Objects

Rachel Stott

Commission made possible by Jean Horsfall

Level:

Piece length: 5 short pieces
Scored for: Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

Serendipity and Household Objects grew out of various sound experiments I made together with violin and viola pupils I was teaching at the time. The idea was to find some extended timbral possibilities of the children’s instruments using only such objects as one might reasonably expect to find around the house – a comb or ruler, empty yoghurt pot, cutlery, pieces of paper, chopsticks – rather along the lines of the television programme ‘The Great Egg Race’ which I used to enjoy as a child.

The word ‘serendipty’ (‘the happy knack of making unexpected and delightful discoveries by accident’ – Cassell Concise Dictionary) describes the way the finding of the sounds led to musical ideas.

A curious point – some of the sounds actually work better on basic level children’s instruments than professional quality ones. Don’t waste this piece on a Strad…or vice versa.

Rachel Stott