Tronow

Description

Tronow is the Revived Late Cornish word for ‘tunnels’. This work is the final piece in a four work project inspired by Cornwall’s mining history. The project began in 2021 with the composition Bucca for soprano and piano. This one minute work was performed in New York on March 24th 2013 as part of the 15 Minutes of Fame Series. A research trip to Levant Mine resulted in the collection of hundreds of sound samples and manuscript impressions (crayon rubbed over manuscript paper resting on walls and other objects in an attempt to create note patterns). In 2014 Edge of the World, a 20 minute media work, was premiered at the mine. It comprised a soundtrack, video, photographs, paintings, sculpture and poetry. Underworld, a one note piano piece depicting man-made underground spaces, was written for Juan Maria Solare. The work was performed in Germany on June 24th 2014 and uses the lowest note on the piano coupled with manipulating the string inside the instrument. Tronow uses many of the note patterns created at the Levant site and utilises some of the techniques used in the other project pieces. The final two bars represents the moment when, in the afternoon of October 20th 1919, a metal bracket at the top of the rod of the Levant man engine broke. 31 miners were lost.