Songs from the Starless Sea
| Year Composed: | 2021 |
| Instrumentation: | viola, cello, bass |
| Duration | 8 minutes |
| I. | Sweet Sorrows |
| II. | Fortunes and Fables |
| III. | Interlude: The Ballad of Simon and Eleanor (optional) |
| IV. | Written in the Stars |
Sheet Music
- Score & parts available for rental here.
Program Notes
I had just finished reading Erin Morgenstern's novel The Starless Sea when the MCO presented me with an opportunity to compose a new work. The instrumentation that was offered to me -- viola, cello, and double bass -- conjured some unusual sonic possibilities, particularly when it came to exploring the low register. I knew immediately that it would be possible to generate a richer and more cavernous soundscape than one might expect from such a small ensemble. I knew also that Morgenstern's surreal, book-within-a-book fantasy -- with its vivid subterranean settings, including the titular 'starless' sea composed entirely of honey -- would serve as a marvelous source of inspiration for the piece I had in mind.
The four movements are named according to act titles within the novel, but are meant to tickle the imagination rather than tell a story, and bear very little relation to either the narrative events or characters of the novel itself. The first movement, "Sweet Sorrows," unfolds as a kind of crooked lament, full of suspensions, resolutions, and 'sticky' chromatic passages, suggesting both honey and the music of the notorious Renaissance composer Carlos Gesualdo. The second movement, "Fortunes and Fables," is a scherzo, alternating between an odd-footed plucked waltz, echoes from the chromatic slippage of the first movement (given fiercer treatment here), and a soaring theme that attempts to capture the novel's swashbuckling moments.
The elliptical nature of Morgernstern's prose compelled me to add an interlude of sorts -- an optional third movement. Titled "The Ballad of Eleanor & Simon," it features the double bass in its highest and most delicate register, and is structured as a kind verse-chorus song without repeats. At barely two minutes in length, the music vanishes almost as quickly as it begins, dream-like and ephemeral. This is followed by the final movement, "Written in the Stars," in which joy and pathos are channeled into a setting that is more orchestral than chamber in temperament.
I am grateful for the chance to collaborate in-person with a fantastic trio of musicians: Desiree, Pam, and David, and for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra for giving me the opportunity to do so.
Commissions and Awards
- Commissioned by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.
Performances
- February 28, 2022 - Pamela Fay, viola; Desiree Abbey, cello; David Fay, double bass. Dominion Chalmers United Church, Ottawa