This is a demo recording of nab·u·li, which can be performed by a single person with a looping machine, recorded to multiple tracks (as is the case here) or performed by multiple live performers. It is constructed of 15 different musical figures in which the performer(s) select what to perform in a quasi “choose your own adventure” style. It is written in a flexible manner that more reflects the player than the composer by the choices that are made. The demo only utilizes only 4 or 5 of the figures, and all are not required in performance.

This work is also transcribed for Piano and Harp.

The title of this work is a reference to the type of coffee Caffé Americano. The popular telling of how the beverage became named is that American soldiers overseas during World War II asked for their espresso to be served more similar to their regular coffee back home. 

And in this way, Requiem Americano has been adapted to include “flavors” of the United States through the inclusion of folk, popular, and nationalistic music. Using this common vernacular makes the work approachable without sacrificing the depth of the subject matter. 

The nine movement piece is bookended by the Introit and closing Hymnus Ad Exequias Defuncti (from the mid-late 4th century by Prudentius.) And between them, each movement addresses a different societal issue within the US, which are:

II. Kyrie: Civil War
III. Gradual, Tract: Social Isolation
IV. Dies Irae: Anti-immigration
V. Offertory: Hypercommercialism
VI. Sanctus: Gun Violence (School Shootings)
VII. Agnus Dei: Thoughts and Prayers
VIII. Libera me: Disproportionate Incarceration