• Date - 2005
• Dur - 7'
• Inst - piano, clarinet
• Premier - March 20, 2007: UAB Hulsey Recital Hall, Birmingham, AL; Kevin Woosley, piano; Denise Gainey, clarinet

Compositions for solo instruments and piano tend to relegate the piano to the role of accompaniment for a solo voice. When writing this piece, my goal was create more of a partnership, a duet, between the two performers. This explains not only the playful interaction of the parts, but also the title itself: “for Piano and Clarinet” speaks volumes against “for Clarinet and Piano.”

Other qualities of the piece can be gleaned from the title. Scherzoid is a hybrid of Scherzo, a classical-era form that was typically quick-tempoed and often light-hearted in nature; and Schizoid, a term representing the frequent and unpredictable mood swings throughout the work. “The Blind Watchmaker” is the title of a book on the beauty of evolution by renowned biologist Richard Dawkins. The insistent rising-and-falling figure first heard in the first two measures of the piano, and subsequently heard throughout, reminded me of such a watchmaker at work, metaphorical as he may be. The Scherzoid premiered at my UAB Senior Composition Recital on March 20, 2007, with my classmate Kevin Woosley on piano, and UAB faculty Denise Gainey on clarinet.