Donne Songs Without Words (2014)
Vincent Van Gogh
IN THE COMPOSER’S OWN WORDS
“The idea of composing for viols was immediately intriguing to me. The sound profile of the instruments in particular strikes me still as exotic and foreign. Viols sound like nothing else, with delicate and expressive qualities that exceed many modern instruments. They demand that you listen and draw one in like a whisper. In some ways they may seem anachronistic in 21st century life, and perhaps they are. Everything about the viol is restrained, including its dynamic potential, and this restricted palette of possibilities has not only challenged me but also inspired me, because in truth, all that restraint makes possible an expression of almost unbearable emotional truth. The music and poetry of the Renaissance was all about laying emotions bare, especially where love is concerned, and viols are the perfect instruments to express such emotions, with their uncanny ability to weep and sigh as beautifully as the human voice.
“My work for Parthenia is comprised of six short, independent movements, totaling about 20 minutes, for four-viol consort and baroque harp. As John Donne is one of Parthenia’s favorite poets, and in an effort to make this piece coherent for their stated aesthetic, the musical material for the pieces was culled from recordings of the players and myself reading some of our favorite Donne verses. The recordings were manipulated electronically to enhance their pitch and rhythmic qualities. The processed material then served as a point of departure for composing each movement. I embraced the emotional content of the poem, along with the pitch and rhythm of the processed recordings in particular and distinct ways for each of the individual pieces. The players have been asked to incorporate exaggerated/choreographed movement as a part of playing the music. Since 1999 I have been developing work of this nature. It creates a hyperemotional state for the musicians as well as the audience. Each movement has been codified and connected to specific musical material.
“The movements are Prelude, Break of Day, The Sun Rises, The Computation, Broken Heart and The Triple Fool.”
–Eleonor Sandresky, 2015
Details
Sandresky: “Donne Songs Without Words” excerpts from “The Computation” and “Broken Heart” / Parthenia Viol Consort, 2015.
Donne Songs without Words
(2014) 24 min
for choreographed viol quartet and baroque triple harp
Music and choreography by Eleonor Sandresky
World Premiere: March 22, 2015 | Parthenia Viol Consort / Christa Patton, harpist | Picture Ray Studio, New York, NY.
Commissioned by Parthenia Viol Consort in 2012 with a grant from NYSCA, a state agency, and premiered in March 2014. Score available upon request.
Publishing & Licensing Information
To perform Donne Songs without Words, please contact varsa@sandresky.com.
ASCAP all rights reserved.
