Tyler Taylor, Little Mercies for spatial String Quartet (2023)

Little Mercies (2023) for spatial String Quartet commissioned by Jon P. Cherry in response to his exhibit of photos by the same title. The piece was performed at 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, Ky. as part of the Louisville Photo Biennial. (This recording was taken in the space so you may hear ambient noises from the museum).
Performers:
Violin 1 - Heather Thomas, Violin 2 - Colleen Mahoney, Viola - Laura Vicic, Cello - Alan Ohkubo
About the collection "Little Mercies":
"The confluence of nationwide racial justice protests, economic hardship, and environmental destruction, all within the framework of a deathly and unrelenting global pandemic, reached and maintained profoundly palpable levels of reckoning in Kentucky. The Little Mercies is a state-as-subject portrait of our complicatedly beautiful, deeply resilient contemporary Old Kentucky Home, capturing the lived experience of Kentuckians. Whether documenting a disaster, or an individual’s success, Jon Cherry’s storytelling is one of shared humanity."
About the quartet "Little Mercies":
"Little Mercies is a response to an exhibit of photographs by the same name. The photos were taken by photojournalist Jon P. Cherry who commissioned the work to be performed in the exhibit. Jon and I agreed that the quartet should be composed in a way where people could be in the exhibit, walk around, and experience the photos and music simultaneously.
The music responds to the exhibit as a whole focussing on ideas of pain, deep sadness, gritty anger, fleeting moments of hope, and cautious optimism. I am struck by the communities of people in the photos who repeatedly face adversity and devastation but are somehow still able to pick up the pieces and persist. The ending of the piece, tired and exhausted, is underpinned by a looming sense of uncertainty - nothing suggests that this pattern of devastation is ending anytime soon."
As a native Kentuckian I am honored to take part in sharing the story of our beautiful but complex state.

[@marcogalvani1706]

Awesome work!

[@tylertaylorcomposer]

Thanks so much!

[@SaintDeus]

Great!

[@tylertaylorcomposer]

Thank you!

[@andersonr02]

this is an insanely cool piece! what software do you use for your engraving?

[@tylertaylorcomposer]

Thank you so much! I used Sibelius to engrave this and it was honestly very difficult. I wrote it in manuscript and figured out how to make it work in Sibelius after the fact.

[@machida5114]

sodelicious.............................

[@P_Yllow]

what style of music is this

[@tylertaylorcomposer]

I don’t know if there is a specific style that this falls into. Some might say contemporary classical but others might not. I just think of it as something I created and like 💪🏼