The Apocrypha : Concerto for Flute & Orchestra

NOTA BENE: This is a work in progress. Please view my forum for more details on the progress of the work (see home page).

I am currently writing a flute concerto using a new method of composing that I have devised called Semanticism.. At present, only the second movement is complete, but I hope the rest will follow shortly. I have an outline for the outer movements, the finale of which will be completed next.

The movements will be as follows:
1) Sonata: The Dawn
2) Passacaglia: The Affirmation
3) Rondo: The Prophesy

Composition of ‘The Apocrypha’
In January 2006, I began to work on creating a new system for musical composition. After a few trial runs (including The Haunted Flute from 'Five duets for beginner flautists') I finished the system at the beginning of March and the concerto marks my first use of the method. I decided to call the method semanticism as it was born out of my interest in cryptography. Semanticism is less strict that Schoenberg’s serial technique but shares its use of tone rows and the potential of motivic manipulation. In contrast to serialism, semanticism can lead more easily to a diatonic or modal sound world. The second movement presented here was composed between 27-29 of March.

Analysis of Movement II Passacaglia: The Affirmation
The movement is a passacaglia - over a ground bass.

The middle movement opens with a statement of the ground bass that will feature throughout (D. bass bb1-8). Bars 7-32 introduce the rest of the string orchestra, each instrument entering after a repetition of the ground bass. An oboe joins the texture (33-40) playing heterophonically with the 1st vln. before the soloist enters and develops the oboe's idea. A new idea is presented by the flute (49-56) which is more angular and characterised by a dotted rhythm. As the rest of the woodwind join (57), the strings take over this idea and developing it (57-64) before the soloist re-enters and continues the development (65-68). At b69 the flute continues varying the second theme whilst the dynamics and texture increases. At b77 the rising motif found in the second theme is inverted first by the soloist and trumpets, then by the horns, cellos, and basses. The first climax is reached at 82 with the return of the first theme played by horns, vln1. against the ground bass, original harmony, and a flute variation.

As the movement continues, the texture gradually thins (87-104) and the dynamics decrease. Snippets of earlier ideas a featured throughout bars 91-104, whilst the ground bass is removed from the double basses and becomes a counter melody (Vln1. 97-104). By changing the register of the ground bass it prepares the way for it developing a melodic role. The ground bass is unleashed as a melody by the horn (105-112) whilst the harmonies change to extended chords using major 7ths, 9ths, 11ths and chromatically altered chords. The soloist takes on the ground (113-120) whilst the horn provides a counter. As the ground moves to the clarinet (121-128) the soloist introduces the final theme of the movement which is more Romantic in character. At 129, the 2nd horn takes the ground with the final repetition of the new harmony before the ground returns to its original register.

At 137, the ground returns to the D. basses and the opening material enters but this time stretto. The soloist hints at the 'Romantic theme' (145) which is taken up by other woodwind instruments whilst the flautist goes on to reprise the second theme. Bars 153-176 are similar to the original material but with slight modifications. At 176-177 the second theme is cut short by the 'Romantic theme' announced by the second climax. The harmonies changes to that of the middle section and the ground once again becomes the melody (trumpet, solo flute).

The Coda begins at 185 with a plagal cadence. The ground is changed at this point to a variation on itself employing motifs from the original ground and also motifs found in bars 57-58 (vln1.). The flute concludes the movement with the horn playing a new motif (new to the movement) that unifies the whole concerto.