Prayer
Vivian FungPiece Duration: 05:41
About this Piece
Program Note: "Under no other circumstance in the past (or probably in the future) have I worn my heart on my sleeve as transparently as I have with this piece. In times of crisis and peril, we have but the reliance of faith - from the profound faith in humanity, faith in love, and faith that we will persevere and get through this with dignity, to the mundane faith that I would complete the piece within the extraordinary conditions that faced me, with a young child at home 24/7, a bronchial infection, and a very tight timeline (ultimately, a matter of days) to complete the piece in a manner feasible for COVID remote performance requirements. In the end, I chose a chant from my composer heroine Hildegard von Bingen as inspiration for my prayer. It goes:
'O Shepherd of our souls, O primal voice, whose call created all of us; Now hear our plea to thee, to thee, and deign to free us from our miseries and feebleness.'" - Vivian Fung
Modal: We hear the chant O Pastor Animarium by Hildegard ven Bingen throughout the piece! It is based in the D Dorian mode (D, E, F, G, A, B, C). Listen to a recording of the chant here
Suggested Activity: The composer was commissioned to write this piece at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and chose to represent both feelings of peril and hope in her work. What aspects of the music do you think most effectively communicated hope, and what aspects most effectively represented peril?
Notable Passages
Description:
The introduction of this piece features contrast created between the long, sustained pitches and fast-moving trills and arpeggios! Listen for the first few fluttering trills, here:
- The second clarinet player flutters between D and F
- The first clarinet player then flutters between F and G
- The marimba player performs fast D-A-D-A arpeggios
- The bassoon flutters between A, C and D
Keywords: Arpeggio - Melodic , Trill - Articulation , Trill - Melody
Description:
The music grows in suspense, here! Fast-moving chromatic passages are heard throughout the orchestra. Many of the players are starting on different pitches of the scale (D, E, F, G, A, B, C) and moving in parallel motion!
Suggested Activity: Modal, Parallel Motion
- Play a D Dorian scale together on classroom/ensemble instruments (D, E, F, G, A, B, C)
- Have students to select two different pitches from the scale as a starting point, and perform together
- Repeat increasing the number of potential starting points
- Reflect on which combinations we like the best, and why!
Imitation: We also hear the first four notes of "O Pastor Animarum" in this section! The motif moves throughout the ensemble featuring different intervals, but the melodic contour always stays the same!
- Trumpet: D, A, G, A
- Horn: Eb, Gb, F, Gb
- Strings: E, B, A, B
Keywords: Contour , Contrast , Dissonance , Imitation - Composition Technique , Modal , Motif , Parallel Motion
Description:
Using imitation, the strings and woodwinds repeat fast-moving scalar passages with ascending contour! What a great moment!
The chant "O Pastor Animarum" is proudly stated with long, sustained notes in the brass instruments!
Keywords: Contour , Contrast , Imitation - Composition Technique , Imitation - Counterpoint
Description:
Listen to the strings, here! They play quarter-note ascending scales moving in homophonic texture, each starting their scale on different pitches.
A measure later, the brass and woodwinds join in with dissonant pitches (not found in the D Dorian mode), such as Gb, Ab, and Bb! As they ascend, they conform towards more consonant pitches.
At the peak, all instruments in the orchestra are sustaining a magnificent, powerful chord!
[Note: A graph of the scalar passages and sustained chord throughout the instrumental parts is attached here.]
Keywords: Dissonance , Homophony , Modal