Lazy Bones

Strickland’s program notes:

Lazy Bones is a piece exploring the movement of bones, the human body’s foundation that

interacts with everyday life in a world that is constantly changing around us all. The amazing

design of the human body, it’s functions and most importantly, the dexterity it possesses is

something that has always been such a fascinating phenomena that goes beyond science and

into the spiritual world. Lazy Bones explores the different events one experiences in everyday

life, while presenting the horn in some common and not so common territories.

Written for Corno da tirarsi in Bb, Strickland brings new life to the historic instrument, utilizing

the characteristics of timbre, horn hunting personalities and the newest addition to the horn, the

slide. The piece starts out with an awakening of the body, stretching and adjusting to the world

around it. The opening statement is the foundation of the piece, a starting point that is grounded

and at the core of the body, almost with a sense of peace and prosperity. That is soon

interrupted by the reality of life, with the bones cracking, spasming and moving out of its resting

state. Events of everyday life occur throughout the piece, all involving motion and energy. These

events are described with multiple genres from contemporary, baroque and jazz.

Lazy Bones creates a story as much as it provides a demonstration of what the corno da tirarsi

can do, and Strickland has hopes of this piece opening doors for more composers to write

specifically for this instrument in new ways.