|
This piece was done as a part of the definition unit of my English class as a senior in High School. The assignment
was to define a word through any creative means. This could have been poetry, art, an essay, or anything. Of course,
I decided to write this piece defining prayer.
For this rendering I primarially used the Garritan Personal Orchestra. The trumpets and horns are from the Vienna
Symphonic library, and the harpsichord from Post Musical Instruments. I used Sonar 4 to sequence, and the non-Garritan instruments
were loaded into Gigastudio 3. There is a very rough score available at the bottom of this page. Second wind parts
were not included because they are mostly the same as the first parts, and there was no room on the sheet for the extra staves.
The following are program notes that I turned in to my teacher with the assignment.
Prayer is not simply any form of making communication with God. A prayer is making a sort of request to God, not to be
confused with praise, which is a communication of thanksgiving to God. The first few measures of this piece represent the
humble existence of man. Mankind is incredibly complex to the simple mind of man, but in the grand scheme man is meek and
tiny. The main melody is introduced by the flute after the theme of man has had its say. The flute melody represents the prayer
itself. The prayer is this: “Dear Lord, my God, bring peace to this world.” If you listen carefully to the flute,
you can hear these words being sung. The prayer theme goes through some development and elaboration. The prayer might say,
“There is turmoil in your once perfect creation. Grant Your peace and love to us all.” What does it say to you?
The first movement ends with an elaborate “Amen,” and a rising motion in the upper strings and flutes as the prayer
drifts toward heaven. The second half of the piece takes place in heaven. The existence of God in heaven is represented in
the first melody heard in the second violins. This melody becomes the subject of an elaborate six-voice fugue. A fugue is
a complex form of music based on one melody, called the subject, which is played by one voice, or instrumental section, before
a second voice starts that same melody in a different key while the first voice plays what’s called a countersubject.
Anyway, fugues are insanely complex and beautiful, and the one in this piece represents the magnificent glory of God and heaven.
After the exposition is complete, or when all six voices are finally playing, fragments of the prayer theme from the first
part are heard, representing the prayer entering heaven. God hears this prayer, and decides to do something tremendous with
this humble prayer. Finally, four melodies are playing at once, all together in one harmonious sound representing God’s
work on that prayer. The ending is an elaborate Amen. The final chord leaves the listener feeling that the piece could continue,
and this ending represents the infinite nature of God and prayer.
click here to download
score (pdf)
|
