Crosscurrents: A Scherzo with Trio for Strings
Anthony Kelley (b.1965)

THE STORY

     Composer Anthony Kelley shares:

     Crosscurrents exemplifies my practice and purpose as a 20th-century Black-American composer of “concert music.” In this work, as well as in my other musical creations, I attempt to utilize eclectic musical elements, both palatable and challenging, to expose two of my central concerns as a composer: 1) the de-mystification of Western Euro-centric musical attitudes, and 2) the simultaneous elevation of an American “voice” in art music. In keeping with this goal, I acknowledge the contributions of Black-American musics (i.e., jazz, blues, rap, etc.) to the American musical style. In practicing this blend of traditional separate musical cultures, my aim is to open more doors of appreciation to larger, more diverse audiences of “concert” music by representing the oft-neglected voices of the “classical” concert hall.
     This scherzo with trio for strings concerns itself with crossing the imaginary, arbitrary musical lines delineated by society: The lines between “art” and “pop,” between “European” and “American,” and between “Black” and “White” are all intermingled shamelessly here. I’ve employed an orchestra of string instruments (an instrumental combination bred from the most European of traditions!) and presented it with many musical techniques which defy their heritage. Syncopated rhythms (sometimes actually derived from rhythms in rap tunes), jazzy harmonies, screeching extensions of standard instrumental ranges, and even percussive effects (they are required to tap on their instruments) abound in this work. 
     It is not difficult to perceive the powerful stylistic influences of Franz Liszt (specifically, his “Mephisto Waltzes”), Béla Bartók, and Igor Stravinsky throughout this work. It may be notable that all three of these composers, whose music I admire tremendously, were more-or-less international composers who occasionally dabble in the juncture between “popular” and “classical” styles. But if I must credit my influences, I should give equal credit to the music of Ahmad Jamal, Thelonious Monk, and Duke Ellington. Listening to the recordings of these great masters provided a significant basis for my rhythmic and harmonic vocabulary.

LISTEN FOR

• Two main motives that create unity throughout the work: the opening four-note chord and the three bass notes that begin the trio—versions of these two ideas can be found in virtually every measure of the composition, though they are often disguised by the rhythmic drive and broad phrases 

• In the opening and closing sections, rapid pulses that also take moments to “joke around” with cross-rhythms and spiraling be-bop gestures

• The more laid-back feel of the middle trio section, accompanied by what Kelley calls a “quasi-rap” rhythm—a transformed version of the lyrics from an early ‘80s rap by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (“If rappers can ‘bite off' other pop and classical tunes into their mixes,” Kelley wonders, “then why can’t classical composers 'bite off’ aspects from rap? Word!”)

INSTRUMENTATION

Strings

Anthony Kelley is the North Carolina Symphony's Composer-in-Residence for the 2021/22 season and Associate Professor of the Practice of Music at Duke University. His works have been performed by the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Detroit, and Atlanta, among others, and he has also composed film scores. He co-directs and performs in the improvisational Postmodern blues quartet called the BLAK Ensemble.

Anthony Kelley's role as Composer-in-Residence is made possible in part by an award from the  National Endowment for the Arts.