Perhaps is an English translation of a Spanish poem by Miguel Hernandez.

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Isaac Porter
5 years ago
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1 Audrey Seah Senior Recital paper Committee members: Dr. Strizich, Dr. Gilroy, and Dr. Boone In this paper, I will present an in depth discussion of three of my compositions. I will talk about word setting in Perhaps, present a form and rhythmic analysis of Rondovu, and discuss the problems with orchestration in writing Aurora Borealis. Perhaps Perhaps is an English translation of a Spanish poem by Miguel Hernandez. Born to an underprivileged family in 1910, Miguel Hernandez received little formal education. Despite his humble beginnings, he published his first book at the age of 23 and gained considerable fame just before his death in The poet was arrested several times after the Spanish civil war for his republican sympathies and eventually sentenced to death. However, his death sentence was commuted for 30 years, leaving him to live in multiple prisons under extraordinarily harsh conditions until eventually succumbing to tuberculosis. It is during this time in which the poet spent behind bars that he wrote the bulk of his poems. His poems were written in the form of simple songs, and then sent to his wife and others. In these works, the poet writes not only about the tragedy of the Spanish civil war and his own incarceration, but also of the death of his infant son, and the struggle of his wife and another son to survive in poverty. Perhaps is one of his poems written during this period of his life. It speaks of the uncertain time at which he would finally face his death sentence, but the definite fact that that fateful day would come. In the poem, he talks about a lumberjack cutting down oak, beech or pine to supply the wood for the coffin, which he describes as "the last refuge of all those now alive". At the end of the poem, he also describes the earth through his eyes - as "dark" and "ready to receive his definite goodbye". When I first came across this poem, its strong words literally shocked me, yet drew me to it. As a rather cheery and optimistic person, reading such cynical text somehow made me stop and wonder how someone could write a poem with so much bleakness. I also picked this poem to set music to as it seemed that it would be a challenge to write for since it's author's character is of such stark contrast to mine. To fit the poetry's pessimistic mood, I decided on a minor key (A minor). I decided to keep the music tonal however, as I felt that it would best fit the overall mood of the poem. In terms of text setting, I sought to set the rhythms and phrasings of the lyrics as close as possible to it's natural accents. I also chose a narrow range for

2 the melody in contrast to the piano accompaniment's moving lines. The piece begins with a short introduction in 3/4 with a downward chord progression in the left hand. It starts in the middle register of the piano and works it's way down to the lower octave, which leads into the beginning of the song. This downward progression in the introduction is important as it sets up the main progression in the accompaniment. Subconsciously, it also implies a descend leading to a final "goodbye". The first stanza and second stanza use the same basic melody and accompaniment. The tone is sad in the voice, while the descending chord progression drives the piano accompaniment. This takes a turn in measure 28 where the first perfect authentic relative major chord (C major) is heard. This is used to set up the later change from all the uncertainty to the climax of the piece where there is a definite certainty (measure 36). It is also here that the texture of the whole piece changes - there are no longer broken chords in the right hand of the accompaniment. This helps build up to the doubling of the vocal part in octaves (measure 34), which lead us into the climax. The climax reaches it's highest point in measure 36 with the word "not" on the second highest note in the vocal part (high F). It is here that we see "not perhaps" instead of the word "perhaps", which has dominated the beginning of each stanza until now. The whole texture is thinned out once again as the poem comes to an end. Once again, I use the downward progression in the accompaniment, but this time only in the right hand, and only with a pedal tone. The bass returns as the final statement is sung. The highest note of the whole piece (high A) is reached here (measure 48) in the final "bye" of the poem. This final note and word, in my opinion, is in a way itself another climax, and perhaps a more powerful one that the one before. The "goodbye" completes the poem and announces his death and final farewell. I picked a high A because of the timbre of the voice in this range which I felt would be appropriate to such a powerful and disturbing end. At this point, the high A is accompanied by the exact same introduction used to start the song. The end of the introduction is tweaked to arrive to a satisfying conclusion. The piece ends with an A minor chord, and a very low A. Rondovu Rondovu is written in 7-part rondo form (in my humble opinion one of the easiest forms to write in) with an extended coda.

3 To make this piece different and interesting, I experimented with compound rhythms. The basic idea is to introduce something different every time the theme or A section returns without distorting the theme itself. Episodes on the other hand are always in a different time signature, and are always played twice. The piece begins with an 8 measure harmonic introduction which sets up the main rhythmic motive (3+2+2). The first A section begins in measure 9 where the melody is exchanged between the two pianos. The melody is then reinforced by repetition, but this time in octaves split between the two pianos in measure 17. Section B begins in measure 25 with change in time signature to 8/8. Here, the melody is phrased as if it was in 4/8 (4+4) while the harmony is grouped in 7/8 (3+3+2). Because the first four measures of the episode are repetitions, I created variety by alternating the melody by the octaves. I did the same for the next four measures even though they are tonal sequences to keep it's consistency. The 6/8 measures in measures 33 and 42 provide a short link to return as we return to A. When A returns in measure 43, all four parts are playing different rhythmic groupings making this the most challenging part of the whole piece. The right hand in the first piano part plays an augmentation of the 7/8 rhythm. Instead of 7 eighth notes in a measure, it is augmented to 7 quarter notes in 2 measures resulting 7/4 note groupings. The left hand however, keeps the same basic rhythm the piece started in. In the second piano part, the same main motive is played in the right hand. The bass part however is now group instead of The next episode (C), begins in measure 51 and is in 3/4. This time, the left hand in both piano parts are grouped in 4/4 ( ), while the melody in the both right hands are grouped in 6/8 (3+3). The only exception is the phrase in the harmony beginning in measure 55 which is grouped in 5/4. The melodies in both parts are also moving in contrary motion. Measure 57 acts as another short link to A. When A returns here, the melody is played in the bass instead. The right hand in both piano parts take over the harmony. Rhythmic groupings remain the same (3+2+2). Episode D begins in measure 66 in 5/8 grouped (3+2). It is first played by piano 1 then repeated by piano 2. The 6/8 measures again serve as a link back to A. This restatement of the main motive in measure 82 is the exact same one we started with, but played in octaves. After one statement of the theme, the music suddenly jumps a major second from C major into D major. The bass rhythm is slightly varied here with an additional pedal D in the third and fifth beat of the measures. The

4 3+2+2 groupings however, remain dominant. In measure 98, the melody in the first piano part is transposed a major sixth above, or in this case, a third below the original theme. The groupings remain but the bass in the second piano fills in the spaces. The cadential extension begins in measure 106 for four measures. Here, it gradually decreases in textural density and thematic material until only the main motive remains. The final chord is a perfect authentic cadence. Aurora Borealis Aurora Borealis, also commonly known as the northern lights, is a natural phenomenon that occurs over the areas near the north and south poles. It is cosmic eye candy made up of green, orange, and yellow shimmering curtains and streamers subtly illuminating the dark Arctic and Antarctic 200 miles above the earth. I had the opportunity to view pictures and videos while doing research for an astronomy class, and I was blown away by the beauty and grace of these lights. As I started to write this piece, I felt the sense of serenity and calm I felt as I watched the lights emerged. I tried to convey in the music the event from it's start, to it's end-- from when a slight glow sets in, to it's climatic fireworks, and to it's final dim fluorescent flames. The symphonic band is one of the most versatile and challenging ensembles to write for; which is why it is my favorite ensemble to compose music for. To write successfully for symphonic band, the composer must be able to balance the many instruments without sacrificing each instrument's own unique timbre - the music cannot be scored too densely such that one would only hear a mass of sound, nor too thinly such that the ensemble would sound like a MIDI file. The orchestration should also have enough textural and timbral contrast to keep the sound interesting. In Aurora Borealis, I used the piano as the main instrument for the introduction as I felt that it's soloistic character and moderate decay (with the pedal) provided a 'spacey' kind of feel which made a great beginning. The percussion, such as the cymbal scrape and the triangle, at this point is used to add colors to the main melodic line. As the piece moved along, textural density is built. The marimba first doubles the piano, then the vibes enter and adds to the color. The main ensemble finally creeps there with the oboes and clarinets entering

5 pianissimo in measure 14. They play a harmony while the piano and mallets dominate the melody. Textural density continues to build here, with more and more woodwinds gradually entering at different times. The main melodic theme starts in measure 21 and is soloed by the alto saxophone. The alto saxophone states the question, which is later answered by the solo trumpet. The piano and mallet percussions move from playing the melody to playing a supporting role as the accompaniment. The challenge here is to have a smooth transition from one timbre to the next and to be able to inconspicuously weave in the change in timbres. The piece moves into the next section in measure 29. Here, I used the solo trumpet note in trumpet 2/3 as the main link into the next section where the melody is carried by the saxophones. This provides a subtle entrance for the saxophones. The chimes in measure 30 carries the same role of the solo trumpet and leads us into the melody which is restated by the clarinets and oboes. In measure 32, the bass trombones and baritones start the build up to the first climax of the piece. Here, every instrument in the band slowly creeps in and textural density is built gradually. My main concern here was how to score the ensemble such that it would sound like one; I did not want the trumpets or flutes to be sticking out with the melody. The main theme begins in measure 37 in the oboes and first clarinets. Here, the brasses play the harmony, similar to what the piano was playing before. The broken chords are split between the bass instruments, the tenor trombones and the horns. The marimba also plays the harmony, but this time in an ostinato. In measure 45, textural density increases once again in the woodwinds, while the 2/4 horns and 2 nd clarinets play a counter melody. Measure 53 is the most sparsely scored part of the piece. Here, the tremolo on the vibes play the most important role in supporting the oboe solo. The transparency of the section allows the players to shine. Measures 59 and 60 are one of my favorite places in this piece. The harmony and melody is broken down between the clarinets, bassoon, and baritone saxophone such that every instrument plays an important role since every one is playing a different note. While the orchestration is still sparse compared to other parts of the piece, the texture does not feel sparse at all. Another one of my favorite parts is in measure 63 where the bassoon continues the melody started by the saxophones 2 measures earlier. In this measure, we also

6 once again have the trumpets holding a note which leads us into another section. In measure 64, texture starts to build again. Intensity also builds as the band goes into a ritardando. The climax is reach in measure 71 with an ensemble tutti. In measures 78 and 791 half the band has a decrescendo, while the other half has a crescendo. This crescendo is vital in building intensity into the climax in next section of the piece. The marimba in measure 80 is the only instrument that is playing it's own solo counter melody against the main melody. The same goes for the vibes in measure 88. There is a sudden drop in texture in measure 26. The saxophone plays a short melody and is echoed by the piano. Textural density and intensity is then built up for the last time into the final climax of the piece with a full tutti. Measures 108 to the end is another one of my favorite parts of the piece in terms of orchestration. Here I tried to weave the different parts and timbres together such that the band would sound like a single entity instead of many individuals. To achieve that effect, I split the melody into different ranges and shared the harmony with the upper woodwinds. The instruments also drop out very gradually as the piece ends. It is the first time I've scored in such a manner for symphonic band (instead of melody in the higher voices and accompaniment in the lower voices), and I am quite happy with results. My next challenge, I think, would be to successfully write a whole composition with such orchestration.

Music Curriculum Glossary

Music Curriculum Glossary Acappella AB form ABA form Accent Accompaniment Analyze Arrangement Articulation Band Bass clef Beat Body percussion Bordun (drone) Brass family Canon Chant Chart Chord Chord progression Coda Color parts