Composer’s Note:

Tamayo was composed in 2024 for a performance by Trio Solano at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California. The piece was reconfigured for string quartet shortly thereafter. The work is inspired by Rufino Tamayos painting Laughing Woman, in the permanent collection at the Crocker, and is part of Flanagans project, The Bow and the Brush. The mood of the piece, like the mood of the painting, is a combination of vibrance, silliness, and fun. After a splattering introduction of dissonant scales, the humor begins with a limping bluesy melody. This tune gets passed between players, interspersed with jovial digressions, gradually picking up speed and volume until the introductory scales return for a dynamic finish.