This piece has been planned several times, for several different combinations of instruments. The first version to be completed (in April 2005) was the solo version, for flute or alto flute. After finishing that version I assumed that the project would end there.
But in September 2005 I decided that I wanted to write a version for Flute, Viola and Harp. I feel that the material from the flute solo has many possibilities pointing towards this trio form, of which Claude Debussy is the spiritual father.
The title is a literal transcription of the third line of a poem by Dylan Thomas: In My Craft or Sullen Art. Thomas describes in a touching way, the thoughts of a poet (or composer?), wondering in the middle of the night for whom he is actually writing his art.
Solo version: Flute or Alto flute. Duration: 4′
Trio version: Flute, Viola, Harp. Duration: 9′
This piece is my answer to a persistent admiration for the Missa Pange Lingua by Josquin des Pres, and particularly, the last segment of the last part (Angus Dei). Dona Nobis Pacem, give us peace. Josquin brings these words to life in a way that never stops to move me.
I start my piece with the very last notes, the last cadenza of the mass, with the word ‘Pacem’. I don’t do much more than reflecting on those last words and notes, adding short recollections of fragments that precede them, and inserting chromatic alterations every now and then, slightly changing the original music without intending to harm it. It is my recollection of a wonderful Angus Dei.
Mixed Choir. Duration: 8-9 minutes
In this trio for 2 violas and piano there are two contrasting layers that remain unaffected by each other.
The two violas play a soft polyphonic chromatic texture that is always present but never exceeds the dynamic level of mp. They seem to imitate each other, but never in an exact way. They seem to be performing a blurry slow motion dance, always remaining faithful to their timid character.
The piano plays a completely different part. On the one hand there are very energetic fragments, with many sudden dynamic changes and a unpredictable rhythmic structure. On the other hand there are soft chord progressions that blend in with the ever present string sound. The piano also regularly turns to silence, as if it has to recharge for the next eruption of energy.
Viola (2), Piano. Duration: 10-11′
A palimpsest is a manuscript page, scroll, or book that has been written on, scraped off, and used again. The word palimpsest comes from two Greek roots (palin + psEn) meaning “scraped again.” Romans wrote on wax-coated tablets that could be reused, and a passing use of the rather bookish term “palimpsest” by Cicero seems to refer to this practice.
Source: Wikipedia
In this composition I used an approach which I now call my ‘Palimpsest Technique’. First I wrote a layer of very soft repeating patterns. After that I started erasing fragments of this layer and replacing them by other (contrasting) material. This procedure was repeated two times, but in theory this could go on indefinitely. Every time fragments of the piece change, but some parts of the original layer are not affected and therefore remain present.
Palimpsest is a soft piece, without any clear motives or themes. It passes like a cloud, that gradually changes its shape while floating by.
Clarinet, Harp, Violin, Viola (2), Cello. Duration: 12′
Recently I feel an increasing need to limit my musical material, inspired by the concept of a ‘monolith‘, a composition made out of one single piece of stone.
It’s a composition in 9 parts. Every part basically uses the same musical material, with one significant difference: the tempo. It starts very slow but the tempo increases with every new part. After part 5 the tempo decreases and the piece ends with the initial tempo.
Like all my organ pieces, this one was written for Huub ten Hacken.