Sunday Morning Trepanation (2002) for mixed quartet and CD playback was composed during the spring and summer of 2002 upon a commission from Harry Ong and Regina Sadowski. The work was designed, as per the commission, to open a concert concluded Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time) (1940) by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992).

In approaching this project, I chose to open a dialogue with Messiaen by also composing a work based on a religious subject. Rather than compose a sacred work, however, I chose to explore the idea of rejection - a work for those who, for whatever reason, have rejected things sacred. The resulting concert experience becomes a point/counterpoint, if you will, between the 'saved' and the 'damned'.

Lasting approximately 10.5 minutes, Sunday Morning Trepanation was premiered on February 15th, 2003 at the Oberlin Conservatory, by the S'ong Ensemble.

David T. Little
8.20.02