Fire and Ice (Bryson)

“Fire and Ice,” along with “Quibbles and Quirks” for wind quintet and “Conflictions” for brass quintet, began as exercises in counterpoint. Though I didn’t conceive of them as a set, upon further reflection, I see them as having remarkable similarities. All are for five voices, involve imitation, and represent conversations. “Fire and Ice,” in particular, takes the well-known poem by Robert Frost and weaves it into a dialogue—at times an argument—inviting both choir and audience to take sides. Because the text is so familiar, I didn’t concern myself with clarity in its setting, instead focusing on the similar vowel sounds central to key words. This leaves the conclusion up to the audience, even as late as the final chord, where both fire and ice sound simultaneously.