Le Cosmicomiche

A consortium commissioning project of
multiple small chamber works inspired by Italo Calvino’s monumental work that you can
be a part of. Let’s work together!

The Distance of the Moon
by Sheryl Barabba

I've had this desire to complete a set of works based on Italo Calvino's Cosmicomics (Le Cosmicomiche) for many, many years. I've written two already, one for piano four-hands, and one for unaccompanied flute (with arrangements for solo viola or solo cello). All of the short stories in this collection create their own kind of literary world where Science Fiction, Family Drama, and Epic History combine into something uniquely his own. Calvino uses these broad and epic themes to tell surprisingly intimate studies of these characters with unpronounceable names and unknown physical forms.

This idea of doing a series of consortium commissions really excites me, because it brings the composer and performers together without any layers of bureaucracy in between. We don’t have to wait for approval, because it’s just people who want to work together, working together. Musicians who want a new piece divide the cost between them, and the piece gets written. The duration of each piece will be in the 5-10 minute range.

I’m not the first composer to be drawn to these fascinating and unusual works, and I won’t be the last. We all will have our own take on them. To me, these stories are ideal and incredibly fertile grounds for chamber music. If you're looking for something new for your instrument or ensemble, I'd like to write it.

Interested? Intrigued? Fill out the form or email me directly at jason@jasonbarabba.com.

  • Several performers or ensembles share the cost of a new piece. Each gets exclusive rights to perform it for a set period, usually one or two years, for a fraction of the usual cost of a new work. Shares are usually $500, and can be less, with the commission confirmed once an agreed number of players are on board. Each composition will be approximately 5-10 minutes in length.

  • This project is open to any instrument or combination of instruments, no matter how common or uncommon, for one to three performers. For extremely rare ensembles it may be difficult to find other commissioners. For rare solo instruments, much less so.

  • If you bring the idea, you're the initiating commissioner. You and I settle the instrumentation together, solo, duo, or trio, and yours is the first share in. From there we recruit the rest of the consortium between us. It asks a little more of you than joining one already underway, and in exchange you help shape what the piece will be.

  • ItemA share is per commissioner, not per player. If you commission an ensemble work, your share covers your ensemble and you bring your own players. Larger works can carry a larger share, though you're free to split that share among the players sharing the commission. If you'd like to raise your share from your own supporters, I'll help however I can. description

  • What a member gets: exclusive access to the score, and access to early drafts to provide feedback. Their name or names in the score. Premieres are played from a final draft part. After the final revisions and edits, every member of the consortium receives a professionally engraved PDF along with a printed, bound score and parts.

  • Payment can be made in the United States or in Europe. In the US, US dollar commissions run through a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In the EU, we can receive commissions in euros via wire transfer through Synchromie Muziek in the Netherlands. Consortium members outside of the EU or United States can choose which path they prefer, or other alternatives can be worked out.

  • Consortium members will be asked to help contact other potential commissioners, and may be asked to take part in a social media campaign to get the word out.

  • If the minimum number of commissioners is not met, the project will not go forward. Commissioners can opt to try to revive the project in consultation with me. Any payment made will be refunded, but most payments will not be requested until the minimum threshold is met.

  • Score deadlines will be defined when the consortium reaches its minimum threshold of commissioners.

  • ABSOLUTELY, I love writing for voice. Due to copyright restrictions, the actual texts of Calvino's stories cannot be set to music. Vocal parts will be limited to wordless vocalise or International Phonetic Alphabet abstract syllables