Mouse Running
Following a request from Nancy Zeltsman, I thought of writing an etude for marimba solo which would be generated by a computer program. The instructions I gave to the computer programmer, Johan van Kreij, along with compositional parameters, were roughly as follows:
A mouse at the top of a mountain (the highest note of the marimba) sees an enemy approaching. He starts running as fast as he can (dotted quarter note = 76) down the other side of the mountain (a random chromatic scale). He is smarter than his enemy and does not take the shortest way: sometimes he turns left or right or goes backwards a little. Sometimes he runs on the spot for a while (repeated notes) or he waits (some rests) very quietly with a trembling heart. After further twists and turns he arrives in his little hole in the nick of time (after three minutes).
The program generates the music randomly: each version is different in every detail. In other words, each performer will produce his or her own Mouse Running. You may like to try generating a number of different versions to choose from.