Two pieces for Harp (Nov. 2011)
For source material for Two Pieces for Solo Harp I turned to the American gothic metal band Evanescence. I had desired to explore the compositional possibilities of Evanescence’s music for a long period of time as their symphonic approach to songs, rhythmic complexity, and experiments with techniques such as scordatura had always appealed to me. I limited my borrowing to the group’s 2003 album Fallen and choose either songs or phrases that were of particular musical interest.
In Resonating Light I borrowed not only a lyric from My Immortal for the title, but also the song’s structure and melodic gestures. The introduction of Resonating Light sets the mood for an ambient (in the dance sense) piece gradually introducing the quaver motif that forms the basis of the introduction of My Immortal. The first section of the former (bb.23-31) takes the rhythm of My Immortal’s verse and re-constructs the pitch material. Even though the melodic gestures are far removed from the original, a distant memory effect is created by maintaining but manipulating the original melodic shape and rhythm. This notation is further explored in the second section (bb.32-38) in which the accompaniment figure from the chorus is borrowed and re-scored. The second piece in the set borrows fragments from other song from Fallen: from Whisper and Going Under rhythmic gestures are extracted and married with new melodies, and phrases and textures are borrowed from Everybody’s Fool and Imaginary. The choice of fragments to use and the resultant harmonic and melodic style that was brought to the work were totally free or subjective. Each fragment explored held a particular musical interest to me: some rhythmic, some melodic or atmospheric. The final memory effect of both pieces is one where the listener is left feeling they have heard something they recognise at a deep psychological level.
In Resonating Light I borrowed not only a lyric from My Immortal for the title, but also the song’s structure and melodic gestures. The introduction of Resonating Light sets the mood for an ambient (in the dance sense) piece gradually introducing the quaver motif that forms the basis of the introduction of My Immortal. The first section of the former (bb.23-31) takes the rhythm of My Immortal’s verse and re-constructs the pitch material. Even though the melodic gestures are far removed from the original, a distant memory effect is created by maintaining but manipulating the original melodic shape and rhythm. This notation is further explored in the second section (bb.32-38) in which the accompaniment figure from the chorus is borrowed and re-scored. The second piece in the set borrows fragments from other song from Fallen: from Whisper and Going Under rhythmic gestures are extracted and married with new melodies, and phrases and textures are borrowed from Everybody’s Fool and Imaginary. The choice of fragments to use and the resultant harmonic and melodic style that was brought to the work were totally free or subjective. Each fragment explored held a particular musical interest to me: some rhythmic, some melodic or atmospheric. The final memory effect of both pieces is one where the listener is left feeling they have heard something they recognise at a deep psychological level.
