The Gibbons Prize pays homage to physicist, environmentalist, and Presidential Science Advisor John H. Gibbons. Jack Gibbons was a giant in technology policy-making, bringing science to the highest levels of the U.S. government. Among other things, Jack worked closely with scientists, industry, and political leaders to reduce the risk of climate change.
Jack also loved music, and music was a foundation of the Gibbons household. Family members frequently entertained guests with impromptu house concerts. Jack himself had a smooth baritone voice and occasionally played a mean washtub bass. For many years, the family sponsored and organized a summer music camp on their farm along the Obed River in the Cumberland Mountains. The Gibbons family recently donated that Obed property to help create our newest national park, the Obed Wild and Scenic River. The Gibbons Prize in music composition shares the spirit and contributions of our mentor, friend, and colleague.
For brief summaries of Jack Gibbon's life and accomplishments, please see the Washington Post, "John H. Gibbons, Science Advisor to Congress and Clinton," or Wikipedia, John H. Gibbons.
Please visit BCGS.org for tickets to the 2 March 2025 3:00 pm concert at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Commissioned by Musica Canis Avem for the Atlantic Guitar Quartet in cooperation with the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society.
Watch the Atlantic Guitar Quartet play Together Apart here.
From its arresting opening gesture, the first movement shines with appealingly bright harmonies, intriguing modal shifts, and full yet luminous textures. Pearl's writing for the ensemble evinces a keen technical and musical sensitivity, with several key motifs and cascading figures often passing seamlessly between the players. Particularly striking moments include instances of octave-doubled melodies, creative combinations of harmonics, and a 12/8+2/4 mixed-meter passage.
The title of the second movement ("I saw you dancing in the snowfall, but you could not see me") is perfectly suited to its hypnotically glistening ostinato texture. The composer has an excellent intuition for when to make changes to musical textures, particularly noticeable here in the gradual shift from the aforementioned ostinato into a strange yet beautiful chorale in 5/8. The combination of registral extremes and extended techniques Pearl exploits here lend an almost otherworldly sound to the movement; the music is acoustic but sounds uncannily electronic at times. Equally remarkable is how the musical material that opens the work is organically transformed over the course of the movement: it never comes back exactly as it was last heard, but it remains recognizable nonetheless.
The third movement cites Bach as an influence, but the repeated pitches and shifting pulses remind the listener perhaps more of Glass. As in previous movements, the artful management of density is notable here. Some Bach does emerge with more linear material, often in an imitative manner that suggests a merry chase within the quartet. Artful use of hemiola at times reminds one of Renaissance dances or of Brahms, and an "echo" of strums across the ensemble—an energetic gesture that Pearl seems to have wisely reserved for the finale—brings the work to an appropriately lively conclusion.
The inaugural 2019 Gibbons Prize was a competition judged by composers Ron Pearl and William Kenlon and guitarist Matt Palmer. Three winners were selected from more than 200 entries.