Hourglass

Imagine being stuck inside of an hourglass, the size of the Sahara desert. I kept this image in mind as I wrote this piece, experimenting with air sounds to replicate the sound of moving sand. The piece begins with the introduction of an oscillating two-note motif in the shimmering harmonics, representing the blinding light reflected from the glass walls.

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The human in the hourglass is dazed and confused, and as sand begins to shift more violently, a pattern emerges in the sand, and dunes begin to grow. As time passes, the glissando motif emerges into the sonic landscape, representing the falling of sand from below. Realizing their fate, the human tries to climb higher and higher, but their efforts are futile as they grab on to the cascading vortex of sand.

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Once they have fallen through the narrow neck of the hourglass, they are buried in silence, signaling the hourglass has completed its cycle. Suddenly, the hourglass is turned over. The cycle repeats, and the human panics in realization of their fate. The common symbolism of the hourglass is the mortality of human life, but I take this metaphor further by suggesting another fear: a time loop.