Organ music

Organ Music

Chiacona (for guitar and organ) 2002 [10’]

Commissioned by the American Guild of Organists for the Biennial National Convention in Los Angeles, California, and premiered by Christoph Bull, organist, with guitarist Scott Tennant, Royce Hall, UCLA, 9:15 &10:45 A.M., July 6, 2004. The organ used by Mr. Bull was made by B.F. Skinner.

Published by Ian Krouse Music.

Score and guitar part: $18.00

Duration: 10’

Program notes and performance history:

The Chiacona for guitar and organ is a ‘trope’ (free variation) on a Baroque violin piece of the same name by Bertali. I have enjoyed ‘transforming’ the music of others to create new music since my college days, and have oft turned to Baroque and Renaissance pieces for sources and inspiration. Other examples of this approach from my catalogue would have to include Antique Suite, Folías, Labyrinth, Music in Four Sharps, and Double Concerto, each a transformation of a piece or pieces by Neuseidler, Corelli, Led Zeppelin, John Dowland, and Pierre De La Rue, respectively. In fact, this approach has been central to my work for many years, and each time I do it, I do so differently. The Chiacona is particularly strict in that the finished piece ‘maps’ back squarely to the original in nearly every respect. Put another way: take out my notes and emendations and you will be left with Bertali’s original! Lest it seem as if I am on the verge of dismissing my contribution as a mere accretion encrusted to a perfectly fine (and innocent) work of art (!) let me hasten to add that I do this not for lack of imagination on my part but to stimulate it. In the present case you might think of my version as a kind of ‘extended performance practice,’ in which, I added embellishments according to the Baroque norm but without its stylistic limitations. This is the key. Often my changes involve expanding upon or exaggerating tendencies already present in the original. For example, Bertali’s (at times surprising and strange) modulations and key changes elicited in me the strangest and oddest moments in the piece. Points of imitation are often expanded upon to create geometric ‘bubbles’ in the form. Motives can become ostinatos. A chord might linger beyond its expected duration creating unusual colors and unexpected conflicts, and so on. The possibilities are endless.

In any event, the Bertali materials floats back and forth between the two solo instruments over an omnipresent ground bass, creating a dialogue between two solo instruments with ancient histories and rich traditions. I evoked both traditions liberally. The organ writing reflects Baroque, Renaissance, and of course, contemporary traditions, while that for the guitar, though drawing upon similar influences, is colored by various ‘pop’ styles as well, without (hopefully) straying too far afield. Though suitable for live performance in just the right circumstances, the piece works particularly well as a recording, where balancing and mixing can help to create just the right effect.