the moon upright [wind trio] 2014
the moon upright:
for flute, oboe, and clarinet in B flat.
circa 12 minutes in duration.
notes:
The instrumentalists play independently of each other. Music is cued to begin only with both instruments starting at the same time. There is no ‘fixed’ synchronisation between the instrumentalists. Whilst the relationship of each instrument is flexibly placed against its neighbour, care has been taken to calculate potential outcomes of coincidence and variability. To this end it is vital that metronome markings are adhered to as accurately as possible although the composer appreciates that it is the various interpretations and practicalities inherent in the realisation of tempi that contribute to the richly unique nature and interplay of each performance.
Compositional material is derived from a series of distant variations that unify all sections with thematic landmarks. Thematic material is audible throughout the piece, bringing cohesion and structure to the work. All the instrumental roles are written to a high degree of virtuosity and most contain extended techniques and quarter-tones. The music itself forms dense, highly complex and constantly changing relationships that are frequently wild and sometimes beautiful. Material in the moon upright is strongly related to material from another piece of mine for ensemble; the dog and the wolf.
The score and parts:
I have not produced a score for the moon upright; difficulties and variables associated with displaying the musical material in vertical alignment as represented in real time are considerable. Each performance will yield somewhat different results, interplays, gestural and harmonic references and outcomes. As a result, the material contained within the piece can only be read via the instrumental parts. Consequently there is no definitive performance of the piece.
the moon upright can only be realised through performance [as opposed to comprehended by reading through a score]; this is the nature of the music – it has to be experienced to be ‘known’.
A note about the title: The Moon upright (XVIII) is the eighteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks.
Symbolism
• Two large, foreboding pillars are shown. Some see them as tombstones, others relate them to Karma.
• A wolf and a domesticated dog howl at the moon.
• A crayfish appears in the water.
• The Moon is “shedding the moisture of fertilising dew in great drops”
• Very clearly, the figure in the moon is frowning, reflecting displeasure.
• The waxing moon has 16 chief rays and 16 secondary rays.
• The beasts are a dog and a wolf, which represent “the fears of the natural mind”.WAITE
• The crayfish crawls from the water onto the land.
• There is a pathway into the distant, dark unknown.
Astrological Sign: Pisces. Positive associations with this tarot card: imagination, unexpected possibilities, illumination. Negative associations with this tarot card: fear, confusion, highly charged emotions, bewilderment, lies, deceit. When The Moon appears you can be sure it will be a time of highly charged emotions and confusion .
The Moon [Tarot Card], Wikipaedia