Duration: 13' ca.

Composed in 2024​

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Perusal Score

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Premiered by The Collective at the University of South Carolina

Commissioned for the annual Whittaker Commission

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Tree(3) is a number so large that it is beyond human comprehension. If each digit of this number could be written down on a single atom, all of the atoms in the universe would be nowhere near enough to write down Tree(3). And yet, mathematics has proven that Tree(3) is a finite number; that is, there is certainly some unknowable upper limit that distinguishes this number from infinity. The number comes from a game where players create ‘trees’ from ‘seeds’, where the first tree must contain no more than one seed, the second no more than two seeds, and so on. Each tree must not contain a previously drawn tree, and if one does, the game is over.  In the game, seeds can be different colors. In Tree(1), there is just one color of seed. Because of this, the second tree drawn will have to contain the first tree in it, so Tree(1) = 1. A game of Tree(2) can be played to get up to 3 trees, so Tree(2) = 3. Once a third color is added, however, this game immediately becomes incomprehensibly large; and yet, it must end. This idea is reflected in this piece, which has a very slow beginning and a quick transition into a blazing fast section. After it all, there still exists an undiscoverable ending; one which is unknowable yet inevitable. I think this is a very human idea—one that ties us together as a species of billions who will all ultimately share this same inconceivable ending. There are more people on Earth than we could ever hope to know, and yet we all still find community with each other. This piece represents the importance of community as well–with the metal pipes shared between members of the ensemble, for example–and is fun and exciting, but also intimate and reflective.