In the Research of Time was co-commissioned by The Walden School and Firebird Ensemble. It was composed in Brookline, Massachusetts and completed in June of 2011.
In the Research of Time is an homage to the 17th century Italian ricercare, a predecessor to the Baroque fugue. Like the fugue, the ricercare uses a subject that appears in imitation through the parts, though it uniquely explores the subjects in different meters and rhythmic values. The word “ricercare” is also similar to the word “recherche” in French and “research” in English, hence the title of the piece. (Note also the intentional similarity to Proust’s title “A la recherche du temps perdu”) The entire form of the piece is a large U shape, starting in the high register, descending gradually, and finally, ascending in each instrument to the point where it can go no higher.
