An eight movement suite for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and percussion
Cycle I- Lute I- Cycle II- River- Zither/Temple Bells- Cycle III- Lute II- Cycle IV
A Far Tower was commissioned by the members of FEAR NO MUSIC, a contemporary
chamber music group from the Pacific Northwest.
Duration: 19min.
NOTES
A Far Tower, fragments from the life of Yu Hsuan-chi is a suite of
eight short movements that together form a cyclic arch. A seductive lute dance, an
impressionistic river journey, a meditation on the sounds of a scholar's zither and the
bells of a temple are all tied together by the recurring motif of the unfathomable cycles of the Tao.
Yu Hsuan-chi was a ninth century courtesan in Tang dynasty China who was also one of the
leading poets of the day. Her poems speak from the position of a woman utterly dependent
upon men in a man's world, yet conscious of her own talents and worth. During her short
life, she was equally drawn to the pleasures of the body, the art of words and the
contemplation of the eternal cycles of the Tao. She was executed on a questionable murder
charge at the age of 25.
Kingfisher blue along a tangled bank.
Mist drifts in a far tower.
Shadows creep across autumn water.
Flowers fall around fishermen's heads.
Fish hide in old roots.
Twigs catch on pleasure boats.
Then: the wind's whistle on a rainy night
Invades my dream. I awake to grief.
-YU HSUAN-CHI (translated by Geoffrey Waters)
Instrumentation:
Flute
Clarinet in Bb
Violin
(violinist needs a pencil with a metal eraser band for hammered dulcimer effect in "Zither" movement)
Cello (cellist needs a guitar pick for special pizzicato in "Zither" movement and a pencil
with metal eraser band for hammered dulcimer effect in "Cycle 3.")
Percussion (one player)
Instruments:
marimba, vibraphone, crotales,
2 bongos (l,h), 3 toms (l,m,h), 3 temple blocks (l,m,h),
2 suspended cymbals (l,h), 2 Chinese opera gongs (1 rising, 1 falling pitch),
1 tamtam (m).
(The opera gongs should be lying down on a piece of foam rubber)
Sticks, Mallets:
light wood sticks,
hard, med. soft mallets
tamtam beater
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