During the earliest stages of the composition process I sketch out the musical ideas and the sounds that I hear for each piece before notating the music itself on staff paper. These drawings serve as a mnemonic device for me to remember the music as it begins to emerge and come into existence. I have mostly kept these drawings to myself (as they are a part of a musical process for me rather than anything else). I have been considering for a while to make a sketch drawing available in print and now feel ready to offer this one.
This image is the initial sketch I did for the chamber opera UR_ as I was working on it. It represents the foundational idea for the work, the narrative, the framework, the musical and structural ideas.
warmth,
Anna