Interim
Soon after the initial introduction, the rest of the orchestra starts filtering in – society being built atop its foundation. Harmonies dance about, but the first concrete melody isn’t introduced until measure 17 by the Bassoons. This melody will flitter throughout the orchestra, but it starts in the Bassoons for a reason. Similar in a sense to our place in China, the Bassoon is regarded as somewhat rare and unusual in the Orchestral world. When it comes to the front of a piece, people are always surprised and intrigued. “What is that? I’ve never heard anything like it before! It’s so strange and beautiful!” Thus, I felt it would be a fitting representation of us as individuals. However, as it is introduced the orchestra plays around it, watching for a short while before the second violins take over. The Second Violins follow the Cellos, crafting a blended melody that climbs before disappearing completely. The Cellos are alone again – just for a second – reminding everyone that they are still watching. Then, before too much can be said, the Bassoon makes a second entrance, this time singing in harmony with the oboe. That too is short-lived and it isn’t long before the rest of the orchestra reminds the individuals where they sit in greater society. As the strings reach a climax, the Flutes, who had remained in the background till now, establish a straight eighth note variation on the tune laid out by the Cellos at the beginning of the piece. Marching along, they enforce the law by following it. But they too quickly fizzle out, and as they go silent, so too do the Violins fall, cascading downward. The world is fast-paced and society changes quickly. Coming out of the fall, the Violas bounce to the forefront, repeating the melody originally played by the Bassoons. The Cellos’ steady beat is still present, but it is now played by the fallen Violins. Soon enough, even that fades away, and the Bassoons enter once again to play in harmony with the violas. The melodic line has now danced all throughout the piece, taking on new instruments and modifying rhythm and pitches. However, as the Violas and Bassoons play together, the individual experiences of that line are brought together into one wholly understood melody. Yet, just as that melody reaches its conclusion, a new modified voice emerges. The xylophone climbs higher and higher, raising question after question until it suddenly ceases. Unresolved, but waiting to find an answer.
In my essay, I talk about coming to understand one’s environment through individual experiences. More specifically, I offer the opinion that recognizing one’s place in their environment and then manipulating that position allows for the shaping of experiences. In this piece, I attempt to express that thought through a combination of steady and changing harmonies, rhythms, and melodies.
The piece starts out with the cellos split into upper and lower harmony. Right away, they introduce a steady beat that is carried throughout almost the entire piece. The rhythm is meant to be the foundation of our environment, a cycle that climbs up, falls, and then starts over again. Having China at the front of my mind, I was thinking of the constant movement that I felt throughout all of Shanghai. The tune put forth is also pertinent, but it speaks more to the idea of the government’s constant presence throughout society. Seemingly buoyant, but possessing dark undertones, the cycle follows the rhythm - rising and falling again and again. This tune is always present, holding everything together but locking the rest of the orchestra into a set beat and key.
Ordering a Journey
This piece focuses on detailing the actual process of ordering that I described in my final essay. It was partially written before using it in this assignment, but I added quite a bit to allow for a complete description of the ordering process. The original part of this piece is found in the middle of this current edition, starting at measure 94. When I was writing my essay, the melody played by the Viola here kept popping into my head. It makes me think of an adventure, the bouncing Do La La La Do La La La trekking through an unknown space - excited to explore a new world. Thus, I obviously thought of food and the adventure that surrounds ordering it. Inspired by this melody, I decided to write portrayals of the different steps I would go through in ordering and eating my food.
The piece, which is written for a string quartet, starts off with a light flowing pizzicato. This represents the initial stage of eating/ordering – the pleasant realization that I will get to be eating soon. As the notes dance about, I fantasize about the different types of food I want (Measures 1-14). However, as the piece rises, I come to the devastating realization that to eat food, I must order it first (Measures 15-20). Turmoil sets in and tension rises as the tempo picks up - dissonance between notes and rhythm appearing (Measures 21-38). The chaos ebbs and flows until a single voice stands out, offering a solution (Measures 39-40). A second voice agrees, and the two jointly confer with the others until a conclusion is reached. Food is important; thus, ordering must be done (Measures 41-46).
There’s a short break in the music (Measure 47), and then the Cello enters alone. The Viola quickly joins and the two begin deciding what to order with additional input from the Second Violin (Measures 49-66). A decision is made, and the First Violin cascades in as the process of conveying the order begins. The melody sways back and forth until suddenly, the four come together and the order has been made (Measures 67-77). There’s a brief interlude (Measures 78-94), then the Viola melody described in the beginning enters the scene. The excitement of successfully ordering sets in and the Viola happily bounces along before passing the melody off to the Second Violin (Measures 94-101). This repeating of the melody allows for the entrance of a slight suspicion--that perhaps ordering did not go as smoothly as originally thought (Measures 102-109). The Second Violin and Viola showcase this fear as they begin playing contrasting
ascending and descending arpeggios (Measures 110-117). However, they soon come out of their fear, and the excitement of getting to eat soon combines with the successful ordering to create a layered melody even stronger than before (Measures 118-125). The Second Violin sings out its longing for food (Measures 126-133) until it is once again struck by the fear that something went wrong while ordering. The Viola and Violin clash until the food is calmly brought out (Measures 134-137). Now that it’s arrived, the excitement has dwindled.
Calmly, I take my food and walk to sit down (Measures 138-145). As I sit, I have a nagging sensation that something is wrong – the dissonance between the First and Second Violins amassing until the music falls, the last chord is played, and I realize what has happened (Measures 146-157).