Procession into the Dark

Abstract

Procession into the Dark is an orchestral work that demonstrates a compositional method I have devised for generating harmonies. This method involves the combination of contrasting scales to produce a series of chords that are then used as the piece’s harmonic foundation. For Procession into the Dark, 5 contrasting synthetic scales have been employed to generate a series of 8 pentachords. The 5 synthetic scales and 8 pentachords are subjected to various processes, with each process forming a section or subsection of the piece. Homophonic material is kept to a minimum; foreground melody only appears about two thirds of the way through the music. Instead, homorhythm and polyphony pervade as the primary vehicles for the presentation of the pentachords and synthetic scales. Inspiration has been drawn from numerous composers—many of them Minimalist in style—to assist in the maintaining of interest amid the absence of melody. The result of the withholding of melodic material is twofold; in addition to the prioritization of chordal and scalar content described above, I also intend to elicit a sensation of delayed gratification via the unfolding of the large-scale structure of the piece. The aesthetic purpose of Procession into the Dark is to provide an experience that is, perhaps, exclusive to long durations of music; in this case, the delayed arrival of melody is meant to serve as a reward for the time invested before its appearance.