Braids (1998/2000)
for violin and marimba (six-mallet)

Duration: 7'30"
Instrumentation: violin and 4 1/3 octave marimba (played with six mallets)
Written for the Paterson Duo
Premiere: Cornell Contemporary Chamber Players concert, Cornell University, Barnes Hall, Ithaca, NY, Fall, 1998.
Publisher: Robert Paterson Music (ASCAP)

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Program Notes

An experience that fascinates me is watching my wife Victoria braid her hair. Braids draws its inspiration from watching her create elegant, masterful braids, with names such as French Twist, Back Twist, Flip Through, Victorian Twist, Rolled Braid, French Braid, Rope and Herringbone. The names of these various braids inspired me to invent interesting musical analogues and ultimately to create this piece.

– Robert Paterson

The book I consulted while writing this piece is Hair: A Book of Braiding and Styles by Anne Akers Johnson: