Organ solo work commissioned by the Space City New Music Festival in 2019 and premiered by organist Daryl Robinson at South Main Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

Named after the astrological sign of the bull, the “Taurus Tryptique” alludes to the French artistic style in which the work is created in three distinct parts. Characteristics of the “Taurus” are represented programmatically throughout the work in a variety of ways, starting from the opening sounds of a bull preparing to charge. The seemingly unstable compound meter found in the outer sections of the piece (2/2 + 3/8) are indicative of a bull’s erratic and unpredictable nature. In contrast, the middle section brings a more fluid melodic approach and introduces a new character of the bullfighter, represented by a solo stop in the right hand. The bold and unapologetic “Taurus” theme, heard first in the opening section in the pedal, returns to battle with the bullfighter leading to an elaborate cadenza and dramatic return of the charging bull. Fast notes in the hands and big, bombastic melodies in the pedal are two signatures of the French Toccata style of organ writing, and are the quintessential elements of this piece. 

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