Trio for Flute, Marimba & Piano by Jason DeCristofaro

This trio was written based around a pentatonic ostinato centered on B. As I wrote the piece, I incorporated elements of minimalism and impressionism to create a colorful palette that would evoke primitive textures in a modern chamber setting. The melodies are very simple, reminiscent of folk melodies, but it is through the use of quartal-quintal harmony, chordal extensions, counterpoint, and sharp contrasts in dissonance and consonance that transform the otherwise repetitive figures into organic sounding lines where are all three instruments are engaging in what sounds like a spontaneous, improvised dialogue.