Featured in Josephine Decker’s Film, Madeline’s Madeline
Audio by Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio
Video by Four/Ten Media
Down Down Baby was commissioned by New Morse Code and developed with the support of the Avaloch Farm Music Institute
Techinical Information
ca. 22’
prepared cello, percussion
Premiered October 4, 2016
Performance History
November 4, 2021
Singing Lesson and Strange Dance
Auer Hall, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, IN
October 30, 2021
Singing Lesson and Strange Dance
Salem Middle School, Salem IN
with IU Center for Rural Engagement
January 14, 2020
The Loft Cinema, Tucson, AZ
June 30, 2018
The Record Company, Boston, MA.
February 1, 2018
Foundation Hall, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
November 9, 2017
Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Focus Day: Percussion Works Since 2000, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN
September 23, 2017
DiMenna Center, New York, NY
June 14, 2017
Geneva Music Festival, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY
March 21, 2017
Alma Thomas Theater, Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX
October 24, 2016
Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
October 4, 2016
Swarthout Recital Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
World Premiere Performance
About the Work
Down Down Baby is a childhood clapping game. Kids stand in a circle, clapping hands in choreographed patterns while singing a simple rhyming song. You know – Shimmy, Shimmy cocoa pop / Shimmy, Shimmy pow. When I began the piece my son was four months old. As a new Dad I often found myself trying to remember what being a kid was like. At the same time, perhaps with a bit less frequency, I was also thinking about how to approach cello and percussion in a completely new way. The two thoughts merged and I started to wonder if I were a kid with no prior knowledge of cellos and percussion what would I do? My immediate answer – I would hit and pluck in every possible way other than the normal way.
Thinking about childhood, led to games, which led to clapping games, which led to the amazing way two people facing each other performing the same motions become mirrors, which is a mesmerizing thing to watch; so I decided Hannah and Mike would be mirrors, and the cello would be their shared instrument. They would play, sing, whistle and clap (often all at the same time), and it would be hypnotic and joyful, maybe even capture some of the playful spirit and intricate physicality of the game Down Down Baby itself, or at least that was my hope!
With all this in mind, each movement became a short childhood scene. In Follow the Leader the players discover their new instrument, exploring a series of sounds and imitating each other as they go. Next is a brief Daydream, a moment of repose before a spirited Singing Lesson and a beguiling Strange Dance. After a second short Daydream the piece concludes with the title track, Down Down Baby, a kind of virtuosic romp through intricately coordinated hand gestures and interlocking rhythms.
– Robert Honstein
About the Composer
Celebrated for his “waves of colorful sounds” (New York Times) and “smart, appealing works” (The New Yorker), Robert Honstein (b. 1980) is a New York based composer of orchestral, chamber, and vocal music. Robert is a founding member of the New York-based composer collective Sleeping Giant, co-founder of Fast Forward Austin and Times Two in Boston. As an educator, he is Program Manager and Composition Faculty at NYU, Steinhardt.
His music has been performed by the Albany Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Dal Niente, Mivos Quartet, Del Sol Quartet, Argus Quartet, New Morse Code, Colin Currie, Theo Bleckmann, Doug Perkins, Michael Burritt, Karl Larson, and Ashley Bathgate, among others. Interdisciplinary collaborators include photographer Chris McCaw, projection designer Hannash Wasileski, graphic designer Laura Grey, director Daniel Fish, and the Cincinnati Ballet. His music has been released by New Focus Records, Soundspells Productions, Cedille Records, and New Amsterdam Records.
Performance History
January 14, 2020
The Loft Cinema, Tucson, AZ
June 30, 2018
The Record Company, Boston, MA.
February 1, 2018
Foundation Hall, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
November 9, 2017
Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Focus Day: Percussion Works Since 2000, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN
September 23, 2017
DiMenna Center, New York, NY
June 14, 2017
Geneva Music Festival, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY
March 21, 2017
Alma Thomas Theater, Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX
October 24, 2016
Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
October 4, 2016
Swarthout Recital Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
World Premiere Performance
