Passions and Prayers
Encyclopedia
Passions and Prayers — Sextet in homage to Jerusalem, is a suite
in five parts for horn
, clarinet
/bass clarinet
, trombone
, viola
, double bass
and piano
. It was composed by Yitzhak Yedid
in Jerusalem, Israel in 2003, and is dedicated to Jerusalem.
The composition is written in five parts, each comprising themes, motifs and atmospheres, which are repeated in different ways. The structure of the composition may be likened to that of a film or play, made of scenes or acts. The atmospheres, which are sometimes highly contrasting in nature, engender tension and mystery. And, just like in films or plays, here too the full meaning will only be understood after listening to the entire work. The titles of the parts are images and poetic comments, were chosen as a general guide to the feel of the composition and are not binding. The listener may assemble the parts into a story, according to his or her understanding or imagination.
Passions and Prayers is based on various elements and incorporates different compositional techniques, taken from contemporary classical music
, where improvised parts are played in avant-garde jazz
and folk music
styles. This approach is based on the belief that the contemporary performer has mastery of different musical languages. This produces a musical richness meant to create a homogeneous entity. The six performers express, in their alternating roles, a wealth of images and atmospheres, ranging from gentleness alongside impulsive outbursts, and quiet along with a constantly and consistently changing “cloud formation”. The players are asked to convey emotions and feelings, according to their own understanding and interpretation, through improvisation
and sometimes creating their own personal composition within the overall work.
The first part opens with viola and double bass - incorporating microtones – and introduces the general spirit of the composition. The opening theme reappears in the final part, but there the clarinet, horn and the trombone will join in the developing theme and complete the opening and closing picture. Succeeding pictures appear, relating a plot that emerges from wildly oscillating moods, ending with a tutti harmonized melody played by all six instruments. At the end of opening part, the double bass solo introduces a prayer, in two sections. The first, “Rave Prayer”, played pizzicato
, is full of pathos and might. The second section, played bowed, conjures up images of “weeping whispers”, and is improvised with very high overtones. The other instruments, meanwhile, play a group of long tones in second intervals in piano-pianissimo
, creating a spirit of pervading sadness.
At the beginning of the second part (“Edge Walkers”), the instruments divide into three pairs – the piano with the double bass, the viola with the clarinet and the horn with the trombone –imparting a sense of walking along a precipice. The instruments in each group play a melody line in unison, with the three unison groups maintaining a counterpoint dialogue, until this dissipates into “Illusory Ways”. The six instruments split up into six layers, each of which playing a separate chromatic pianissimo line. The instruments then reassemble into the horn improvisation before the horn, double bass and piano continue on to an avant-garde
solo.
The viola solo, “The Viola’s Regard”, connects us to the next picture, creating tension and a sense of mystery played in long tones of the five others instruments, interspersed by strumming low piano strings that merge with the musical incidence. The closing section appears suddenly, and in forte fortissimo
, as a sharp change and a return to the opening section. The instruments rejoin into unison groups, before parting accordingly, into the final improvisation (“Sad Pageantry”).
The third part describes the development between imagination and reality, between the passion of love and beauty and a situation of chaos and anarchy, at the end of which, a heartfelt prayer appears. It opens with “Angels’ Passions”, in which the horn leads a celestial melody, answered by an opposing group. A dialogue develops, continued by the gradual addition of other voices up to the climax of the dialogue in which all the six instruments participate. The following two parts - “Death Scene” and “The storm before the calm” - portray chaos and anarchy. The last part is an impassioned prayer, a hommage to Jerusalem, played by double bass and horn.
The fourth part, “When silence meets silence”, is introduced by the piano solo, opening with piano-pianissimo harmonious tones on the lowest registers of the piano. It creates an atmosphere of mystery, interspersed by a sharp motif
of three block chords, played forte-fortissimo, which return later in the part and in the fifth part. A short improvised section, which closes with a slightly modified version of the opening motif, will later merge with a short melody that appears as a fleeting episode. Another improvising part leads us back to, and closes with, the opening harmonious tones. Then, as if out of nowhere, the viola and double bass join the closing tones, playing three isolated notes in a major third interval, in a portrayal of naivety.
The fifth concluding part presents a range of subjects and atmospheres, some of which have previously appeared. These sometimes appear as reminders and sometimes as a development akin to the thoughts of an old man, considering his memories in acceptance and soberness. “The Trombone’s Poem”, may be construed as the statement of the observer – the storyteller. This is followed by an improvised section with piano and the double bass, “Nothing lasts, you see…”, ending with the block chord motif of the fourth part, in a sort of flashback.
The finale includes a development of the opening subject. The horn, clarinet, trombone, viola and double bass play harmonious progression chords in very slow tempo, with the horn, viola and double bass alternately taking the lead. The work ends with a long, lonely, F sharp tone, echoing the viola's F sharp from the introduction, as a concluding cycle, but now played by the double bass.
- Prelude
- Mystic cycle
- In the holy tunnel
- Rave prayer
- Weeping whispers
Part 2
- Edge walkers...
- ...in illusory ways
- The viola’s regard
- In a sorcery dream
- Sad pageantry
Part 3
- Angels’ Passions
- Death Scene
- The storm before the calm
- Prayer in hommage to Jerusalem
Part 4
- When silence meets silence
Part 5
- In a thrill of emotions
- The storm before the calm
- The trombone’s poem
- Nothing lasts, you see...
- Finale
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
in five parts for horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
/bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. It was composed by Yitzhak Yedid
Yitzhak Yedid
Yitzhak Yedid is an Israeli Australian composer of classical music and jazz pianist.-Biography:Yitzhak Yedid was born on September 29, 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel. His family immigrated from Syria. He studied at the Rubin Academy of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston with Ran Blake...
in Jerusalem, Israel in 2003, and is dedicated to Jerusalem.
Synopsis
Passions and Prayers is introduced to us through the eyes of the observer, as if he holds a mirror in front of us, to reflect and portray the feelings of people who live with deep love but also experience constant sorrow and anguish. It is presented as a storytelling suite, unfurling a story in the language of music. The music conveys differing emotions, oscillating between the mysterious and the exposed, between the passions of love and the coldness of harsh reality. The prayers in the work are those of compassion and pity, borne of deep faith and acceptance.The composition is written in five parts, each comprising themes, motifs and atmospheres, which are repeated in different ways. The structure of the composition may be likened to that of a film or play, made of scenes or acts. The atmospheres, which are sometimes highly contrasting in nature, engender tension and mystery. And, just like in films or plays, here too the full meaning will only be understood after listening to the entire work. The titles of the parts are images and poetic comments, were chosen as a general guide to the feel of the composition and are not binding. The listener may assemble the parts into a story, according to his or her understanding or imagination.
Passions and Prayers is based on various elements and incorporates different compositional techniques, taken from contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
, where improvised parts are played in avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
styles. This approach is based on the belief that the contemporary performer has mastery of different musical languages. This produces a musical richness meant to create a homogeneous entity. The six performers express, in their alternating roles, a wealth of images and atmospheres, ranging from gentleness alongside impulsive outbursts, and quiet along with a constantly and consistently changing “cloud formation”. The players are asked to convey emotions and feelings, according to their own understanding and interpretation, through improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
and sometimes creating their own personal composition within the overall work.
The first part opens with viola and double bass - incorporating microtones – and introduces the general spirit of the composition. The opening theme reappears in the final part, but there the clarinet, horn and the trombone will join in the developing theme and complete the opening and closing picture. Succeeding pictures appear, relating a plot that emerges from wildly oscillating moods, ending with a tutti harmonized melody played by all six instruments. At the end of opening part, the double bass solo introduces a prayer, in two sections. The first, “Rave Prayer”, played pizzicato
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
, is full of pathos and might. The second section, played bowed, conjures up images of “weeping whispers”, and is improvised with very high overtones. The other instruments, meanwhile, play a group of long tones in second intervals in piano-pianissimo
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
, creating a spirit of pervading sadness.
At the beginning of the second part (“Edge Walkers”), the instruments divide into three pairs – the piano with the double bass, the viola with the clarinet and the horn with the trombone –imparting a sense of walking along a precipice. The instruments in each group play a melody line in unison, with the three unison groups maintaining a counterpoint dialogue, until this dissipates into “Illusory Ways”. The six instruments split up into six layers, each of which playing a separate chromatic pianissimo line. The instruments then reassemble into the horn improvisation before the horn, double bass and piano continue on to an avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
solo.
The viola solo, “The Viola’s Regard”, connects us to the next picture, creating tension and a sense of mystery played in long tones of the five others instruments, interspersed by strumming low piano strings that merge with the musical incidence. The closing section appears suddenly, and in forte fortissimo
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
, as a sharp change and a return to the opening section. The instruments rejoin into unison groups, before parting accordingly, into the final improvisation (“Sad Pageantry”).
The third part describes the development between imagination and reality, between the passion of love and beauty and a situation of chaos and anarchy, at the end of which, a heartfelt prayer appears. It opens with “Angels’ Passions”, in which the horn leads a celestial melody, answered by an opposing group. A dialogue develops, continued by the gradual addition of other voices up to the climax of the dialogue in which all the six instruments participate. The following two parts - “Death Scene” and “The storm before the calm” - portray chaos and anarchy. The last part is an impassioned prayer, a hommage to Jerusalem, played by double bass and horn.
The fourth part, “When silence meets silence”, is introduced by the piano solo, opening with piano-pianissimo harmonious tones on the lowest registers of the piano. It creates an atmosphere of mystery, interspersed by a sharp motif
Motif
Motif may refer to the following:In creative work:* Motif , a perceivable or salient recurring fragment or succession of notes* Motif , any recurring element in a story that has symbolic significance...
of three block chords, played forte-fortissimo, which return later in the part and in the fifth part. A short improvised section, which closes with a slightly modified version of the opening motif, will later merge with a short melody that appears as a fleeting episode. Another improvising part leads us back to, and closes with, the opening harmonious tones. Then, as if out of nowhere, the viola and double bass join the closing tones, playing three isolated notes in a major third interval, in a portrayal of naivety.
The fifth concluding part presents a range of subjects and atmospheres, some of which have previously appeared. These sometimes appear as reminders and sometimes as a development akin to the thoughts of an old man, considering his memories in acceptance and soberness. “The Trombone’s Poem”, may be construed as the statement of the observer – the storyteller. This is followed by an improvised section with piano and the double bass, “Nothing lasts, you see…”, ending with the block chord motif of the fourth part, in a sort of flashback.
The finale includes a development of the opening subject. The horn, clarinet, trombone, viola and double bass play harmonious progression chords in very slow tempo, with the horn, viola and double bass alternately taking the lead. The work ends with a long, lonely, F sharp tone, echoing the viola's F sharp from the introduction, as a concluding cycle, but now played by the double bass.
Passions and Prayers titles
Part 1- Prelude
- Mystic cycle
- In the holy tunnel
- Rave prayer
- Weeping whispers
Part 2
- Edge walkers...
- ...in illusory ways
- The viola’s regard
- In a sorcery dream
- Sad pageantry
Part 3
- Angels’ Passions
- Death Scene
- The storm before the calm
- Prayer in hommage to Jerusalem
Part 4
- When silence meets silence
Part 5
- In a thrill of emotions
- The storm before the calm
- The trombone’s poem
- Nothing lasts, you see...
- Finale