A Stroke
(quintet), 1995 [6'00"]

This piece was selected by the Spring 1996 Contemporary Music Festival of the Taiwan Composers League and world-premiered at the National Taiwan Arts Education Center on March 18, 1996. It was also selected by the Asian Composers League 18th Annual Conference and Festival and performed at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines on January 23, 1997. The ensemble was consisted of Berly Garcia (flute), Ariel Sta. Ana (clarinet), Ma. Cielo del Carmen (xylophone), Cenen Carpio (glockenspiel), Noel Crisostomo (percussion), Houdini Rontas (percussion), and Arnel Feliciano (conductor).

Program notes

The idea of this piece came from the practice of the Chinese calligraphy. Each character is formed by writing one stroke at a time; the strokes follow a specific sequence and are structurally related. The composer believes that the form and style of a Chinese character is merely the appearance, while the "inner characteristics" of every stroke is the core of the art. This emphasis on "a stroke" is the main theme of this piece. The composer attempts to connect the color of the sounds - developed from pitches, dynamics, and changes in rhythm - to the art of Chinese calligraphy.