Product Description
I am...
This piece was composed based on a poem by the contemporary writer, Professor Ma Sen:
I am the tree, I am the flower, I am the soil
I am the wind, I am the water, I am the valley
For one day I fly, one day I walk, one day I pause
One day, I rooted myself in the valley by the water in the soil
I am no longer the tree, no longer the soil
I am no longer the wind, no longer the water, no longer the valley
I am...
After I read this poem, a string of inspirations came to me. I thought of Ma Zhiyuan's poetry. I thought of life, as well as music.
Strongly aroused, I quickly grasped the structure of this piece in my mind. Since the original poem is so thoughtfully profound, in order to present its philosophical and abstract aspects, I did not choose to unfold the piece by the melody; instead, I tried to maneuver the sounds of a chamber ensemble for soprano, flute and percussion (including slapstick, snare drum, wind chimes, suspended cymbal, xylophone, claves, wind gong and timpani) to depict the imagery and atmosphere of the original poem.
The piece derives its form from the structure of the poem. Besides the introduction, it comprises two sections. After the eighteen-measure introduction comes the first section, which centers on the reciting soprano, with the flute and percussion alternating and responding to each other. In the second section, the three are then fully integrated. For the soprano part, I employed a chanting style from the traditional Chinese theatre, hopefully to enrich the flavor and expression of the poem.
The piece was commissioned by the New Aspect Cultural and Educational Foundation. Upon its completion in 1985, it was premiered at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on the April 14th of the same year, by soprano Liu Sai-yun, flutist Lu Mei-hsin, percussionists Ju Tzong-ching, Cheng Ji-hung and Chang Jue-wen.
()
1985414
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.