Graceful Circles by Aaron Ragsdale

Graceful Circles is a two movement work for 6 (on four instruments), vibraphone, crotales/bells, and small percussion set up. Written for primarily two mallet “drummy” figures and incorporating elements of minimalism and post-tonal rock, the piece makes use of overlapping rhythms, metric modulation, and dynamic independence to explore the joyous energy that can be found even in the repeating patterns of day-to-day life.

When my daughter was around two years old, one of our early-evening rituals—as soon as I got home from work—was to “dance” in our dining room. Most of the time, this really meant putting something upbeat on the stereo (this could range from They Might Be Giants, something from the David Byrne/Brian Eno catalog, A-Ha, or the faster pulses from Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians) and make circles around our dining table until we were done.

Those times together were so special and so fun because there was nothing else to do during them until we had finished. You can’t scroll social media and jog in a circle — at least I can’t.

At its heart, Graceful Circles is a pop tune that seeks to capture the spirit of those evening dance sessions — of being able to put everything else to the side and just enjoy time together engaged in laughing and smiling and spinning and feeling the music. Through shifting timbres, driving energy, overlapping rhythms, metric modulation, and dynamic independence, it explores the joyous energy that can be found even in the repeating patterns of day-to-day life.

– A.R.