This is the full performance of my piece for percussion quintet. The parts were recorded separately and put together using FL Studio 21 and DaVinci Resolve.

"A Proposed Biography of the Universe" is based on the birth, life, and death of the universe as we understand it now. The piece opens with what I imagine was the universe before the Big Bang. The steady rhythm of the crotale represents the sheer nothingness that was everything in that "time." The glockenspiel and other melodic instruments set up the harmonic motif that returns in the piece.

Suddenly, the crotale speeds up, and the Big Bang occurs, with loud cluster chords shortly following, representing the violent chaos in the first seconds of the universe. A dramatic rhythmic motif from the drums is played for the first time, and another repeated rhythmic pattern is played to represent the new particles, elements, and molecules being formed at rapid speed.

The piece decelerandos into a darker, more mysterious section which represents the Dark Ages of the universe, a time after the chaos of the universe's birth. There is then a transition into the section of the piece that represents the first stars being born and shining their light upon the dark universe. The synth plays an important role in this section.

The piece transitions again with a steadily accelerating bass drum, representing the expansion of the universe, quickly followed by a melodically dominated section representing the creation of our Sun, Earth, and Life.

Humans have the gift of observing and documenting the beauty of the universe, and if we are not careful, we could be forgotten by all, marking the end of history as we know it.

In this piece, I imagine that human civilization will die out, the stars will eventually deplete their energy and go dark, and the universe will have a slow and painful Heat Death, where everything we have ever known will eventually dilute into mere particles. My piece ends on a somber note, where the motifs are played for the last time before we hear the steady crotale from the beginning of the piece.

Performers:
Tristan Kanitz - Parts 2, 4, and 5
Chase Kanitz - Parts 1 and 3

Uploaded as unlisted on 16 May 2024