My Clock is Broken! for Guitar Quartet

You will receive a PDF containing both the score and individual parts. The piece was commissioned by Mela Guitar Quartet.

Although I have given this piece a prescriptive title, its narrative could be taken both literally and metaphorically. It is the story of a clock maker who is driven to madness when one of his clocks malfunctions. Following a foreboding introduction, I have imagined his twinkling, magical workshop, with its whirring clogs and childlike wonder. I was inspired here by a magical display of toys in a shop window in Sweden near Christmas.

As he realises something is amiss, the childlike melodies take on a more disturbing character, and the music becomes increasingly distorted and dizzying. The final section of the piece is about coming to terms with what has happened; I wanted the ending to have a timeless, everlasting quality, containing both love and sadness. The story could be taken literally, or people could choose to see their own stories in the piece, about getting through difficult experiences.