The Gods of Pegana (Chapter X; Reading Session with Orchestra)

The Gods of Pegãna (A Tone Poem for Large Orchestra) by Jason Thorpe Buchanan is based on a 1905 fantasy/alternative creation novel of the same name by Irish author Lord Dunsany that proposes: There are in Pegãna Mung and Sish and Kib (the gods of death, time and life), and the maker of all small gods, who is MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, who made the gods and hath thereafter rested. And none may pray to MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI but only the gods whom he hath made Because he was weary after the making of the gods, and because of the drumming of Skarl, did he grow drowsy and fall asleep But at the last will MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI forget to rest, and will destroy the gods whom he hath made And there shall be only MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI. But, when at the last the arm of Skarl shall cease to beat his drum, silence shall startle Pegãna like thunder in a cave, and MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI shall cease to rest.

This is the tenth chapter of thirty-two that make up the novel and orchestral tone poem (work in progress). The first eight have been completed in a Chamber format (nine-piece ensemble) and three movements were read by a student orchestra in August, 2010.

For more information on the composer, please visit http://www.jasonthorpebuchanan.com

For more information on this work or to purchase the score and parts, please visit: http://www.melosmusic.com/jason/w_peganasuite.php



The Gods of Pegana - by Lord Dunsany
CHAPTER 10 - THE DEEDS OF MUNG
(Lord of all Deaths between Pegana and the Rim)

Once, as Mung went his way athwart the Earth and up and down its
cities and across its plains, Mung came upon a man who was afraid
when Mung said: "I am Mung!"

And Mung said: "Were the forty million years before thy coming
intolerable to thee?"

And Mung said: "Not less tolerable to thee shall be the forty
million years to come!"

Then Mung made against him the sign of Mung and the Life of the
Man was fettered no longer with hands and feet.

At the end of the flight of the arrow there is Mung, and in the
houses and the cities of Men. Mung walketh in all places at all
times. But mostly he loves to walk in the dark and still, along
the river mists when the wind hath sank, a little before night
meeteth with the morning upon the highway between Pegana and
the Worlds.

Sometimes Mung entereth the poor man's cottage; Mung also boweth
very low before The King. Then do the Lives of the poor man and of
The King go forth among the Worlds.

And Mung said: "Many turnings hath the road that Kib hath given
every man to tread upon the earth. Behind one of these turnings
sitteth Mung."

One day as a man trod upon the road that Kib had given him to
tread he came suddenly upon Mung. And when Mung said: "I am Mung!"
the man cried out: "Alas, that I took this road, for had I gone by
any other way then had I not met with Mung."

And Mung said: "Had it been possible for thee to go by any other
way then had the Scheme of Things been otherwise and the gods had
been other gods. When MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI forgets to rest and makes
again new gods it may be that They will send thee again into the
Worlds; and then thou mayest choose some other way, and not meet
with Mung."

Then Mung made the sign of Mung. And the Life of that man went
forth with yesterday's regrets and all old sorrows and forgotten
things--whither Mung knoweth.

And Mung went onward with his work to sunder Life from flesh, and
Mung came upon a man who became stricken with sorrow when he saw
the shadow of Mung. But Mung said: "When at the sign of Mung thy
Life shall float away there will also disappear thy sorrow at
forsaking it." But the man cried out: "O Mung! tarry for a little,
and make not the sign of Mung against me now, for I have a family
upon the earth with whom sorrow will remain, though mine should
disappear because of the sign of Mung."

And Mung said: "With the gods it is always Now. And before Sish
hath banished many of the years the sorrows of thy family for thee
shall go the way of thine." And the man beheld Mung making the
sign of Mung before his eyes, which beheld things no more.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• orchestra
• orchestral
• composer
• composition
• neue
• new
• contemporary
• concert
• performance
• live
• modern
• music
• musik
• loud
• percussion
• brass
• winds
• strings
• angular
• dissonant
• tone
• poem
• symphony
• fantasy
• novel
• piano
• horn
• trumpet
• trombone
• drum
• fiction
• violin
• ensemble

[ADugas661]

You're welcome! I'm an undergrad music student currently and found it so interesting that you composed a piece based on Lord Dunsany as I have composed a small piece inspired by Lovecraft, though nowhere near as good. I'm going to be taking my first real composition lessons next semester, so I'm hoping to make some progress. Who would you cite as influences on this particular piece?

[jasontbuchanan]

@ADugas661 Well thanks again for your interest, I wish you the best of luck! It is rather difficult to isolate influences for one piece, as our combined experiences all influence us somehow... However, I would say Ligeti has always had an influence on me, and I have learned much from studying his work. I think conceptually, the idea to write a tone poem came from Strauss, as did some of the orchestrational ideas. Of course also Stravinsky, as well as Messiaen. Loads of rock music as well!

[ADugas661]

This is amazing.

[jasontbuchanan]

@ADugas661 Thanks so much, I appreciate it!

[maestroanth]

sounds like stravinsky....

[ADugas661]

@jasontbuchanan On your thought about influences, very true. I had to acquiant myself with Ligeti, though now that I've heard some of his work I do enjoy it. Luckily I've already been exposed to extremely dense textures. It's neat that you cite rock as an influence on your work, I'm a guitarist myself. I find that there are, unfortunately, few rock bands that look into modern classical as it has so many ritualistic aspects to it. If you're busy that's fine, but I'd love to talk music some more.