2024

For Voice, Viola, and Cello

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The inverse-square law in gravity means that as two objects get closer to each other, the attraction between them get exponentially stronger. As in a black hole, once you get past a point of no return, you fall head-first, straight into your own demise.

Vocalise from the Abyss portrays the process of edging towards that point. As the voice part is tempted towards the centre of attraction, the harmony intensifies and strengthens the pull towards resolution. The music repeatedly spirals out of control, as the voice part struggles and struggles to escape the swirl pulling him in. The inevitable finally happens, and the voice is left with nothing but a desolate whimper from the abyss.

A vocalise is a piece of vocal music where the voice is treated purely as an instrument, rather than a vehicle for meaning, where linguistic sounds are chosen for their musical content. Vocalise from the Abyss is a spiritual successor to Mind the Gap (2023), my orchestral piece that similarly used a physical phenomenon as a metaphor for people. Please mind the gap.

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