Vocal project

Well, yes, I know that I am already writing a vocal piece (the one for the competition in Chile, for soprano, clarinet, violin, cello and piano), but there is this other project going on at the Royal Conservatoire that is organized by the composition department together with the vocal department. All the first years are required to write a piece for solo voice and one instrument. The piece does not have to be very long, the teachers said maybe 7 minutes maximum in duration. 

I am planning to write a piece for bass-baritone (if I ever talk to him, because I haven't been able to find the right moment to approach him) and piano (who already agreed to perform). I want to do something that uses tonal chords in such a way that they are not perceived as such, mainly by extending them or by adding sonorities to them. I think it can be a very nice piece to perform, and this bass-baritone has a really nice voice, at least when he speaks, very deep and warm. I think it can work for a very dark, ambiental piece, where strange sounds appear and disappear and everything is very vague. 

With this I also have a sort of dilemma, because I don't know whether to use text or not. I would really like to use some text, because I think it adds much meaning to a piece, even if it is very short. But on the other hand I think it can become too concrete, too on-your-face. I partly think to solve this by using a text that is not in one of the typical European languages like English, Spanish, German, French, Latin, Italian, etc. 

I found this beautiful quotation from the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad, one of the many sacred texts in the Hindu tradition. The quotation was also used for the music on the final scene in Matrix: Revolutions (the Matrix series being some of my favorite movies), when Neo has his epic fight with Mr. Smith (my favorite character in the series). 

First in IAST:

oṁ asato mā sad gamaya

tamaso mā jyotir gamaya

mṛtyor mā amṛtaṁ gamaya

oṁ śānti śānti śāntiḥ – bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad 1.3.28

Then in devanagari:

ॐ असतोमा सद्गमय ।

तमसोमा ज्योतिर्गमय ।

मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय ।।

ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः ।। – बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् 1.3.28.

And lastly a translation to English:

Lead Us From the Unreal To the Real,

Lead Us From Darkness To Light,

Lead Us From Death To Immortality,

Let There Be Peace Peace Peace. – Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.

(The source of all this is Wikipedia, of course)

A screenshot from the final battle in Matrix: Revolutions

I think it is a really beautiful text, and I like very much what it says. I have to think more if this is an appropriate text for the kind of piece I want to write... Now that I think of it, the whole piece could be a very slow transition by the piano from the lowest register to the highest, while the bass-baritone sings this prayer as a sort of mantra, symbolizing the process of becoming enlightened, of going from Death to Immortality... hmm hmmm many things to think about.

I leave you all with what I am listening at the moment... 

Orlandi di Lasso - Missa pro defunctis