Op. 23 – Foolsquest

Mezzo-soprano, Flute and Clarinet

Foolsquest was originally written to accompany a mime, playing the traditional fool in a motley suit. In the original scenario, the fool was searching for something, thus the title. The music alternately suggests medieval conductus and jazz, combining a sense of the ancient tradition of tomfoolery with a sense of fun. The vocal part is entirely set to the nonsense syllable dtoo, a more percussively articulated variant of duh.