Pesanta (2016)

"Pesanta" is a musical representation of a sleep disorder, called sleep paralysis. One who has the disorder will seemingly wake up with inability to move their body and experience terrifying hallucinations which often include a shadowy intruder and difficulty breathing from intense pressure felt on the chest. The name "Pesanta" comes from Catalan legend where it is depicted as a large black, hairy dog with steel paws that slips into your room, sits on your chest and causes nightmares. The form of the piece is temporally based on one’s sleep cycle with sleep paralysis.

Written for and performed by Sam Fronk at Bowling Green State University on April 17th, 2016.