Composer

While studying under composer Dr. Albert Glinsky, Peyton created On the Cusp of 'It' for solo piano in Spring 2022. The piece is in ABA form, with the A section being a peppy jig and the B section an impressionist augmentation. In the video above, Dr. Sarah Kahl premieres the composition at Peyton's 2022 senior recital.

For Music Theory II, Peyton completed a short solo piano composition titled when you get zoinked by a tarantula in Spring 2020. This piece references the struggles of players in the Nintendo game Animal Crossing when they are attacked by spiders.

“A Contemporary Search for Ancient Wisdom.”

In most instances, the beginning of a quest tends to be hopeful and with uncontrollable excitement. However, I decided to write the initial quest in E minor to reflect the apprehension of the traveler, whether it be to risk, complacency, or inner turmoil. The beginning has little movement besides the woodwind soloists, indicating the loneliness in seeking personal change. This gets refuted as the strings offer support and match the atmosphere.

“The road is not for the chosen few; it is everyone’s road.”

For my first variation, the strings take the reins as the guides to the adventurer. Ionian in a parallel context is hinting at the need to see the extraordinary miracles in the seemingly dreary situations. The secondary dominants function as consistent reality checks to the naïve traveler who is set in their old ways.

“Nature itself journeyed, seeking illumination.”

The bass clarinet begins the E whole-tone variation with a steady ostinato pattern keeping the clarinet choir grounded. Like the sprouting of a seed into a tree, it is easy for the pilgrim to be fixated on the idea of something “up there.” It is important to still be in pursuit of your objective and not be caught up in the minute details along the way. The intoxication of that mysterious “up there” passes, just as each clarinet fades out of the variation. The bass clarinet is the traveler’s desire for the quest and its rewards, withstanding the temptation and remaining vigilant.

“It is we who determine how quickly time passes.”

An unusual soprano and baritone saxophone duet, this use of serialism is an exercise in time, attention, and imagination. When we allow ourselves to exist at the moment, the space we take up seems more fluid. The traveler should be basking in the world around them, taking note of every extraordinary moment.

“Transforming spiritual pain into physical pain.”

The strings make a comeback in the form of a cello trio in the minimalist style. This variation makes a point to convert the negative thoughts一jealousy, self-pity, envy, and hatred一into tangible pain. Just as the many repeats make the lines unrelenting with displaced accents, the way in which we hinder ourselves (often, without the realization of it) is an aggressive cycle to break. By putting their spiritual sufferings into the context of the physical realm, the adventurer can better learn from the harm it causes them. At the end, the sample of a puzzle being solved in The Legend of Zelda reflects the severe self-talk dissipating from the pilgrim.

“The Love that consumes.”

The string section is filled out with a viola and double bass along with a sustained and flowing emphasis on E major to G# major to C major. The consistent joy of this variation is the traveler finally learning where their destination is. This manifestation is of the great love that reinforces and integrates, providing energy and peace. The pause before the last resounding chord is symbolic of the pilgrim’s final hesitation before feeling agape: the love that consumes.