Kristin Kuster
Rain Chain
Duration: 7'
Instrumentation: Solo vibraphone
For solo vibraphone
My mom’s parents built a home on the south shore of Lake Michigan, and during our summer visits of my childhood I felt it was the most magical place on earth. Nestled into a hill steps from the beach in Dune Acres, Indiana, the house had architectural design elements of Bauhaus and the International Style. With an exquisite view of the lake, a breakfast nook jetted out to the northeast, and from its awning there hung an enormous rain chain.
An alternative to a downspout, a rain chain’s function is generally decorative, creating a water feature out of rainwater falling from gutters. Our rain chain was a series of big, thick, beautifully rusted chain links, which spanned vertically two full stories and landed in a curved pile enclosed in a short brick circular wall. After the rain, I ran out to watch the water fall—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, it ebbed and flowed in a dance down the chain. It sang a lovely counterpoint of delicate water smoothing, flickering over the chain’s hard, strong, weathered metal.
Shipping & Returns
Physical copies ship in 2-3 business days.
Digital copies delivered to customer email upon checkout.
Returns accepted for physical copies within 30 days of delivery.
Returns are not accepted for digital products.
About the Work
Duration: 7'
Instrumentation: Solo vibraphone
Commissioned by: Multi-percussionist/composer Peter Dodds
Pages: 10