II. Hearts, Glassblowers of Time. A Narrative.

So, back towards the beginning of the year, I gave you an extensive look at the second movement of "Joker's Interlude" before I'd even composed it. Well, for some time, it's actually been a completed work, but only yesterday did I get a first reading of it. In light of this event, and actually for the benefit of my performers, I will give you all a fresh look at this piece. Now, my first explanation of this piece was an interpretation. Today, I’d like to give you more of a narration. If you want to read about the background, context, and overall message of the piece, read here. Otherwise, I’ll get right into it.

The piece begins with a section titled “Condensation”. A glass bell is rung seven times in a passage marked “Meditativo senza tempo” or “Meditative without time.” After the ringing dies away, the tonic note pours from a wine glass and then is doubled a major second above. This sweet sounding but penetrating harmony is held for long enough to cleanse the ear’s palate of all other sounds and we begin to enter the dream.

The mystical scale on which the piece is based glissandos downward from the harp. The glissandi are performed with cards to give a slight pop to each note sounded, imitating pattering rain. Underneath this trickling, a four note motive oozes in various forms from the violin, cello, and oboe. These offset variations play harmony for just a moment before fading away underneath the trickling harp, leaving bare the two glass notes which never ceased to vibrate. The two notes shrink back to the tonic, over which the bell rings seven more times and the four note motive rings distantly from card-plucked piano strings.

Here, bubbling triplet figures rise gently from the harp, punctuated by plucks from the piano. After this foreshadowing has faded, the piano takes up the triplets and begins to churn them from their slow tempo. Once the tempo has reached its peak, a sustained noted from the cello regularly repeats like a heartbeat above the churning piano. Gradually, the violin and oboe join this heartbeat, building harmonically. The harp plays a dancing melodic line and the wine glasses sound the four note motive.

The energy of this section increases until the harp and piano break the repetition with an ascending figure that climaxes with a majestic shout of the four note motive. This shout is followed by more churning energy from the other instruments, and after one final shout, this energy fades away, and what is left underneath is the familiar major second from the wine glasses.

The second section “Transformation” begins here. Marked “Oceanico senza tempo”, a repeating set of watery chords washes over the wine glass resonance in 7/4 time. These chords sound with unceasing repetition and at an incredibly slow rate.  Above these unfaltering waves of sound, a serene, expansive melody sings forth from the oboe. This melody, though as infinitely slow as the waves underneath, seems to fly freely through evolving rhythmic variation.

Once the oboe has sung its song, the waves take an altered form. The piano uses the original watery chords, but rather than sounding every beat of the 7/4 measure, sounds only the first, fourth and fifth. This breaks the measure into a “3-1-3” beat pattern, like trinity reflected in a mirror of unity. It is over this new wave pattern that the violin responds to the oboe with a transposition of the previous melody. This new melody makes different choices rhythmically, but remains in slow motion.

At the end of this melody, the tonic rings once again from the wine glasses followed soon by the major second. Above this resonance, the violin ascends and slows rhythmically until it reaches its peak. This celestial note combines with the wine glasses to create a suspension that is held for a full seven beats before releasing into silence.

Here, an aleatoric passage begins. It is a simplistic and meditative two measures both of which are comprised of four notes. The first four descend and are repeated seven times. The second four ascend and are repeated three times. These last four notes represent the starkest break from the definitive scale of the piece.

After this simple and spacious passage completes itself, the final section "Ascension" begins. The harp and piano sound the same "3-1-3" pattern, the harp recalling the watery chords of the previous section, and the piano reinterpreting the notes from the aleatoric passage. Surrounding this pattern, the oboe, violin, and cello sound different transpositions of the four note motive which play harmony, as at the opening of the piece. Underneath all this, the wine glasses bloom into their major second one last time.

The four note motives and the wine glasses crescendo as the piano and harp diminuendo. After three measures, all but the harp and piano disappear like dross, leaving a chord of pure glass. This chord sounds the “3-1-3” pattern for three more measures, joined in the second by the ringing of the bell. On the seventh measure of “Ascension” and on the seventh ring of the bell, the glass chord sounds one last time and decays into eternity.

And that is a narration of “II. Hearts, Glassblowers of Time.” Thanks for reading. The piece will be premiered at Project 21’s last concert of the semester on April 16th; see my myspace under "upcoming shows" for details. Again, I would highly suggest reading the interpretation of "II. Hearts" to get a fuller idea of what it all means. I’ll be sure to post again when the concert gets a little bit closer, just as a reminder. I know this is going to be a great premiere, and I thank all of you for your support.

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