Songs without Words

Today marked my final mini-recital as an Emerson scholar at MIT. I decided, as I probably mentioned earlier, to write a concerto (with piano reduction) to perform. The concerto is a melding of romantic form and early-mid 20th century tonal languages, with strong infusions of improvisatory qualities. Although I used minimal counterpoint technique, all themes and motifs were still very short (all around a measure long) to allow their development.

A motif is a collection of notes, but that collection of notes supercedes style. Whether a motif is twelve-tone or Baroque depends on usage and musical environment. One feature of a lot of music is development only within one framework or other. I prefer the concept of “motif time-traveling.” A motif may move a century forward or back and wear different clothes, and so reflect different colorations and attitudes. But it is still the same motif. That is the essence of this violin concerto.

The first movement features two primary ideas: the first is a sequence of 8 (9) notes, presented in a headstrong, extremely exposed manner; the second is a sequence of 12 (13) notes, presented in a subtle, highly veiled manner. The initial dynamic between these A and B themes conforms to the traditional romantic concerto model of masculinity and femininity. However, the development focuses on an aggressive form of the second theme that eventually inverts itself so that it ascends rather than descends. The return of the A theme in the recap assumes the opposite character, a whimsical, hesitant, and moreover quiet rendition. Throughout, the sequence of intervals is never altered.

If you have ever known a person – any person – you will know that this is human nature. People are consistent but display different moods and affections at different times. A motif is a soul, expressing itself in response to its placement in the world.

The second and third movements are much simpler conceptually.  The second movement is a dictated and harmonized improvisation, hence its metric and thematic variability without detailed development of ideas.  The third movement is a fast, tonal rondo based on rhythm rather than theme, with the primary meter being 7+8/8, or 3+2+2+3+3+2, inspired in part by rupak tal (which is 3+2+2, with accents on the beats of the 2’s).
Please leave comment / e-mail if you would like the recording of the recital (mp3) ..