GOLDEN SUNRISE – VIOLIN

Commissioner
Violin: Hanna Bingham

Program Notes
Musical cryptograms found their way into music composition as early as the Renaissance, and continue to be of a great interest even to contemporary composers of the modern era.

Golden Sunrise is dedicated to my wife Xrysa Timo. The name Xrysa is short for Χρυσαυγή (pronounced Hry-sav-gi) which translates to golden sunrise, hence the title. I constructed my own code of matching each letter of the English alphabet to a pitch class. Using the letters of Xrysa Timo I created sequences of musical notes that form the work’s melodic and harmonic material.

Golden Sunrise doesn’t follow a strict musical form; rather it has its roots in the art of improvisation. It is a fantasia or an impromptu where the music unfolds and develops as if prompted by the spirit of the moment; thus reflecting Xrysa’s spontaneous and free spirited personality. The episodic nature in the beginning of the piece finally explodes into a frantic, dance-like section inspired by the Greek music from the region of Pontos. The violin in this passage imitates the traditional Pontian lyre. This section of Golden Sunrise utilizes the violin’s open strings, featuring trills and the interval of a perfect fourth. These are common characteristics in Pontian traditional music. Golden Sunrise concludes with subdued statements of ‘Xrysa’ using artificial and natural harmonics. The serene character of this final passage exemplifies Xrysa’s esoteric world and reveals her hidden qualities.