Hearing Voices 2009: Ben Miller

Ethos New Music Society Art Song Concert 2009
SUNY Fredonia

PROGRAM NOTES:
text by Emily Dickinson
Poetry has never been completely clear to me. Understandably, I was surprised to find that Emily
Dickinsons To Fight Aloud is Very Brave communicated so directly, in a way that is both beautiful and
concise. For me, its summation of those who justify war with noise against those who quietly fight it
evokes various shades of blue and grey. Ive always liked hybridizing color with music. I focused on the
note A, the bluest in my opinion, and created a thread throughout most of the piece. Next, changed the
harmonic context around the thread to disguise the fact that A kept on repeating itself. I found that the
veiled repetition reflected how history repeats itself on a background of constantly changing circum-
stances.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Ben
• Miller
• To
• Fight
• Aloud
• is
• Very
• Brave
• Ethos
• New
• Music
• Society

[hwallacem]

what a joy to hear lyrical music dressed in modern language ---bravo, young musicians!