Featuring the combined choirs of Washington and Lee University, a pick-up orchestra, and Jonathan Chapman Cook as the piano soloist, this performance took place on March 22nd, 2016.

Shane Lynch, conductor

Rockbridge Symphony Orchestra
Mark Taylor, conductor
February 28th, 2015.
Performed in Wilson Hall at the Lenfest Center for the Arts.
Washington and Lee University.

Performed by Jonathan Chapman Cook at Washington and Lee University on October 4th, 2014.

Performed by Jonathan Chapman Cook on January 18th, 2013 in Wilson Hall at the Lenfest Center for the Arts at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

II. Abwesenheit: Andante espressivo
III. Wiedersehen: Vivacissimamente

Performed by Jonathan Chapman Cook on January 18th, 2013 in Wilson Hall at the Lenfest Center for the Arts at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

This recording is dedicated to the memory of Brian Callahan, my uncle and mentor. Brian was not able to be at the performance, but I received the recording in time to send it to him and his wife, Margaret. A lifelong connoisseur of music and lover of Beethoven, this recording was the last piece of music he listened to before he passed.

Composed by Byron Petty. Performed by Jonathan Chapman Cook, February 2014 in Wilson Hall at the Lenfest Center for the Arts at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA. Recording engineer: Graham Spice.

Quarks
1) Up
2) Down
3) Strange
4) Charm
5) Bottom
6) Top

Leptons
7) Electron
8) Muon
9) Tau

Notes from the Composer
The genesis of Quarks and Leptons for piano solo may be found in its dedication to my long-time friend Charles Olin on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Beginning as a physics major at Dickenson College, Charles branched out into the world of art conservation and beyond achieving a stellar career as a practitioner and teacher. He was the founding director of the Smithsonian's conservation lab and later head conservator at the U. S. National Museum. Throughout his life he has always maintained a passion for the science of physics and astronomy.

When Charles moved into private practice he initiated a program of student apprenticeship. With that in mind, I began Quarks & Leptons as a musical work to  inspire budding science-inclined students taking piano lessons. The physics of Quarks and Leptons (sub-atomic particles) is complicated; my take on them is not. It is a fanciful tribute responding to the quirky titles that physicists have given these particles: Up, Down, Strange, Charm, Bottom, Top. Simply conceived at first, these brief wisps of musical thought soon acquire a greater technical difficulty culminating with the set of three Leptons – Electron, Muon, Tau – requiring advanced piano skills.