Stress…Relief by Scott Ward

All five composers were given the same parameters: an instrument list for each of six players/parts (loosely based on the instrumentation of the pieces” Katraterra” by Jim Casella and “Halcyon Days” by Nathan Daughtrey); an estimated duration of two minutes; and lastly, a motive based on the pitches of the word “HEADACHE” (replacing the letter “H” with the pitch “B,” which is commonplace in many European countries), thereby making the motivic material based on the sequence of notes “B – E – A – D – A – C – B – E.” Each composer was then free to create anything within those parameters.