I composed Music As The Ice Melts as an acknowledgment of the psychological impact climate change is currently having on us. Initially, when I set out to write a piece on the topic of climate change, I had in mind that the work needed to be a detached, almost scientific response to the impending environmental crises. But music quickly crosses an emotional threshold; the piece began to take on a more personal meaning, and in it I captured the sensation of my own anxiety about the coming decades. The music depicts the recurring thought patterns of an anxious mind, with jittery rhythmic energy and relentless, unpredictable repetitions.
Clock-ticking effects figure prominently into the piece. Often when I am feeling anxious, I sense a timer counting down, and with this comes the regret of lost opportunity with each passing minute. These countdown timers are ever-present when my mind turns to our society’s obstinate inaction regarding fossil fuel emissions. While brainstorming the imagery for the text of the piece, it occurred to me that ice is a perfect analog for a timer. Ice naturally embodies a sensation of “counting down”, as it drips and melts away. Throughout the piece I use a recurring “clock drip” motif, an unpleasant reminder that even as we listen, distant glaciers are disappearing.