Writ in Water

Year Composed:	2018
Instrumentation:	2 ob, bsn, 2 hn, strings
Duration	15 minutes

Sheet Music

Score & parts available for rental here.

Audio Excerpts (MP3)

Program Notes

The title, Writ in Water, is derived from the epitaph on the gravestone of the English poet John Keats:

Here lies One whose Name is writ in Water

This remarkable line was penned by Keats himself, who on his deathbed (he was barely 25) requested that it be inscribed on his tombstone, without reference to name or date. These words paint a haunting picture of mortality and impermanence: the fleeting nature of an artist's legacy, perhaps, or of existence in general. They also seem to emerge from a place of deep vulnerability. One can imagine the poet grappling with feelings of despair and bitter resignation -- hence the image of 'writing on water,' which suggests a kind of impossible struggle against nature itself. But there is also defiance, in the very act of writing, even affirmation -- one that comes with the awareness that life itself is made meaningful because of its fragility, such that on the cusp of death, it is possible to feel more alive than ever before.

The music of Writ in Water is a reflection of these sentiments. Moments of beauty and tranquil lyricism, often harkening back to pre-20th century musical styles, collapse into painful utterances and stunned silences. Opening with a simple pizzicato pulse, like a slow heartbeat, the music wanders through a hazy landscape of sonic memories, with strands of Mozart, Handel, and (especially) Mahler drifting in and out of the narrative. Some of these strands appear once, only to dissolve into darkness, unresolved, the musical equivalent of words written in water.

At its core, Writ in Water represents my attempt at grappling with the themes life, death, and memory associated with Keats' epitaph. The famous Kubler-Ross model of grief -- comprised of the five stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance -- provided me with an initial psychological and structural guide, although, as in life, these stages unfold in a manner that is by no means linear. This model also gave me the artistic license to journey backward, into the past, as a metaphor for the manner in which we engage -- productively or otherwise -- with our own past while grieving.

Commissions and Awards

Commissioned by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.

Performances

March 19, 2019 - Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Anne Manson. Westminster United Church, Winnipeg, MB