Brown, Party of Two

flute, toy accordions, coffee grinder, salad bowl, and viola (1999)

(excerpt) Movement 2. Coffee
Elizabeth Brown, flute (left hand) and coffee grinder (right hand); Betty Hauck, viola

duration: 8:35


program note

1. Ladle

2. Coffee

3. Salad Waltz

4. The Kitchen at 4 a.m.

5. A Modern Recipe

Brown, Party of Two was written for violist Betty Hauck. Its slightly bizarre sense of humor is characteristic of our escapades together through many years of friendship.

Brown, Party of 2 is my only piece that isn’t completely notated! And, it was written for my particular salad bowl, and some toy accordions that are long gone. The only movement that is relatively clear is Coffee, in which the flutist plays flute with left hand only, while playing the coffee grinder with right hand. You need a full grinder of beans for each runthrough.