Keith HAMEL - "Scivias"

performed by New Music Concerts, Robert Aitken, conductor.




"The musical inspiration for Scivias comes from the chant Alma Redemptoris Mater written my Hildegard von Bingen in the 12th century. When a chant such as this one is performed in a reverberant cathedral or monastery there is a wonderful sense of growing resonance that occurs over the shaping of each phrase. After doing a detailed spectral analysis of a recording of this work, I became fascinated by the complex interplay between the sung pitches, their overtones, and the cathedral reverberation that turned a beautifully contoured melodic line into a rich harmonic fabric. My composition explores the concept of resonance by using a computer to take the sounds produced by the ensemble, deconstruct their internal spectral (i.e. overtone) structures, and to create new sounds that are derived from the original sources yet coloured in interesting and usual ways. The sounds are distributed around the hall through multiple loudspeakers to create a sense of constantly-evolving resonance. In a sense, the computer attempts to extract and illuminate the internal beauty that is sometimes hidden within acoustic sounds. While brief quotes of the original chant emerge from within the musical texture from time to time, Scivias is more concerned with creating the sense of mysticism and spirituality that one associates with Hildegard.

The title of this work - Scivias - is borrowed from the name of the book in which Hildegard von Bingen recorded her mystical visions and her ornate allegorical illustrations. Scivias was commissioned by New Music Concerts and tonight marks the World Premiere of the composition." K.H.

© Keith A. Hamel. All rights reserved

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Hamel
• AMP
• Contemporary Music
• New Music
• Hildegard