Commissioned by New Morse Code

I. The Tongue is but a Clapper
The tongue is but a clapper. Simplicity itself.

II. How— Hush!

III. Simplicity Itself
One rose leaf, falling from an enormous height, like a little parachute dropped from an invisible balloon. Turns, flutters... It won't reach us.

From "The String Quartet" (1921) by Virginia Woolf

Hush, written for the adventurous duo New Morse Code, maps the concept of speech and song onto the instrumental combination of percussion and cello. Taking excerpts from Virginia Woolf's short story "The String Quartet," the performers convey the busy-ness of speech and conversation contrasted with the simplicity of song. The metaphor lends itself to extended roles for both performers-- unpitched (un-singing) percussion renders spoken words, while the cantabile cello sound dovetails into vocal singing. The middle movement reminds listeners of the worth in silences, which emerge when we care to hush.