Continental Drift is written for french horn, percussion, and two keyboards (one microtonally altered) which are performed by one player. The piece uses a nineteen note-to-the-octave tuning system I designed to be used in conjunction with the standard twelve note equal tempered system. In this work, keyboard one (acoustic) is tuned normally, while keyboard two (digital) is microtonally altered. The seven added notes form natural intervals with each other and also with the twelve "normal" notes. This system provides a wide variety of intervallic and harmonic possibilities in both just and equal tempered tunings. The french Horn also plays microtones from the nineteen note system. Continental Drift moves through passages which at times use only one of the two tunings and, at times, combines them. The title, Continental Drift, refers to a subtle movement between musical references. While unified stylistically, the work draws on characteristics from diverse sources such as Mahler, Indonesian music, and free-jazz artists, including Albert Ayler. It is a one-movement and concentrated work, with a long melodic line paced by the horn. There is an elaborate fast-paced drum/cymbal accompaniment, and a complex backdrop of the two keyboards, at times emerging and receding in the texture.

Circadian Rhythms was commissioned by Ted Mook and has been performed throughout the U.S. and Europe by Newband, the California EAR Unit, the New York New Music Ensemble and many others. The piece uses a nineteen note-to-the-octave tuning system I designed to be used in conjunction with the standard twelve note equal tempered system. In this work keyboard 1 (acoustic) is tuned conventionally while keyboard 2 (digital) is altered in the following way: C#, D#, F# and G# are raised approximately 37 cents while Bb, C and F are lowered approximately 51 cents. The seven added notes form natural intervals with each other and also with the twelve "normal" notes. As the movement titles suggest, the first and fourth movements are related by their material. The second and third movements contrast these outer movements, and each other as well. Stylistically the work is most obviously influenced by my long-standing love for Javanese music, my recent fascination with the music produced by the New York rock band Sonic Youth, and by the music of LaMonte Young.

Ancient Eyes was written during the months directly before and after the birth of my daughter, Anna Eileen, on November 12, 1990, and reflects some of the thoughts and emotions I was experiencing at that time. As is the case with other recent music of mine, Ancient Eyes expands the twelve note equal tempered system to include both just and equal tempered intervals. The nineteen note hybrid tuning used in this piece allows the music to move freely through passages which use either altered or tempered tunings, or combinations of the two.

Maggies was commissioned by the Fromm Foundation and was written for the California EAR Unit in the fall of 1997. It is scored for flute/alto flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano/sampler, and two percussionists. In addition to the live instrumental music, pre-recorded texts by James Joyce, Gordon Lish, and Donald Barthelme are interwoven into the musical texture, as well as sampled ambient sounds. The reader is my wife, Maggie Lane, and the contours and music of her speech, as well as the music and rhythm contained within the texts themselves, inspired much of the piece. The Joyce texts are taken from Finnegans Wake and provide a very "open ended" recurring narrative throughout. The text by Gordon Lish wonderfully strings together familiar clichés in a "stream of consciousness" manner, and also provides a second pseudo narrative to the piece. The text by Barthelme is placed only at the beginning and acts as a prelude, of sorts. As with other recent works of mine, this piece uses two tuning systems, the normal twelve note equal tempered system, and a twenty one note-to-the-octave "just" system I designed to be used in conjunction with the twelve note equal tempered system. -MR

Nü kuan tzu is a nine movement twenty-two minute piece commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts and completed in 1996. It is scored for soprano, mezzo soprano, and eleven instrumentalists. The textual makeup of the piece is perhaps its most distinguishing characteristic. The work uses source texts (both pre-recorded and sung) from Sung Dynasty "music poems" (in two dialects) in combination with poems by Appolinaire and Rimbaud. Digitally sampled texts are interwoven with the live singers who are sometimes singing in French, Chinese, or combinations of the two languages. Each movement is very different stylistically and ranges from impressionism to microtonal music to pop.

Möbius Loop is a one movement work. It was written in the months directly before and after the death of my mother. That time period was perhaps the most emotional in my life. The slow reflective middle section of this work is a tribute to her. Most of the music in Möbius Loop, however, is upbeat and hard driving, and was directly inspired by my energetic seven year old daughter Sara Rosenblum. In fact, it is from a playful piano improvisation of hers that the opening measures of the piece originates. As a composer, I am fascinated by hybrid musical styles in which widely varying cultures and traditions merge or even clash. I often find myself trying to create such musics. In Möbius Loop, my interest in popular music, freer jazz forms, and my recent interest in Cuban music, is reflected. The work also combines two tuning systems, the normal twelve note equal tempered system and a twenty one note-to-the-octave "just" system I designed to be used in conjunction with the twelve note equal tempered system. The title, Möbius Loop, refers to the Möbius Strip, a twisted triangular shaped figure that signifies cyclic transformation and lifecycles. The work is framed by one big loop; the hard-driving and rhythmic opening material returns at the end. Working in from both ends of the piece brings us to the quiet and still music in the middle. There are also loops within loops. When new musical material is presented in the body of the work it is almost always contrasted and then repeated to form smaller loops within larger ones. This concept is reflected on many levels within the piece. Möbius Loop is dedicated to the memory of my mother Sonia Rosenblum, my first inspiration, and my daughter Sara Rosenblum, my continuing inspiration.