This composition was inspired by three poems by three different poets. As the title indicates, all three poems used in this song cycle are based on the same theme: stones. However, each poet found unique poetic significance in these objects. I employed different musical materials to portray the differing moods of each poem.
In his poem “Stone”, Charles Simic describes a contrast between a poetic narrator and the outside world. I conveyed this contrast with two different musical characters – a rather slow and lyrical melodic line and a comparatively fast and dramatic recitative.
Simon Ortiz’s “The Serenity in Stones” is very peaceful and somewhat fantastic. I chose to set this with relatively quiet and dreamy sounds and with consonant harmonies.
The third song is based on Archibald MacLeish’s poem “The Rock in the Sea”.
This poem contains a great deal of irony and confusion. I portrayed this with wandering arpeggio patterns in the piano part, ambiguous harmonies, and clusters
Throughout the song cycle, I mixed tonal materials with my atonal language to create a contemporary sound. Tonal harmonies such as triads and extended chords keep this piece rather accessible; however, I used these materials in an unconventional way.
In this piece, these chords rarely progress as they do in the traditional functional harmony. Here they shift from one to another without required resolution, creating rather unexpected moments.
Some of the techniques and notations from 20th century music such as clusters, playing with forearms, and scoring without bar lines also helped me to create a new and freer sound.