Welcome to #NewTuneThursday!
Today’s tune is our first foray into the works created for “Music for The Book of I“… Presenting “Solitude’s Hypocrisy”!
Back in 2014, I was approached by author Jorge Armenteros to create a 50-minute album of “musical response” works to be released with the debut of his novel, The Book of I.
The Book of I is the story of Teaston, a painter struggling with schizophrenia, who finds himself at the edge of a cliff, at the edge of his life. Set in the seaside village of Cassis, in the south of France, the novel explores our fragmented human nature through the distorted lens that Teaston provides.
I had a huge blast working on this whole project! Jorge specifically loves the violin and wanted music centered on the haunting sounds of strings. So most of the music I created is for various combinations of string ensemble.
Today’s particular tune, however, was intended to be simple, raw, and heart-breaking. It remains one of my favorite tunes… “Solitude’s Hypocrisy” is a reflection of our main character’s turmoil that he finally succumbs to near the end of the novel… In it, Jorge Armenteros writes:
The ever-shifting world throws me into a lonely corner when I need someone. And when I crave solitude, my skull lets everybody into my mind… when I could almost touch Phillipy, he jumped…Even Camila, walking away from me when I need her most.
Reading this, I knew I had to incorporate the themes belonging to both Phillipy and Camila, which I had already composed. And, of course, both characters’ themes had to strike a much darker and more sombre tone in this combined “reprise” of sorts.
And, as it happened, Jorge had requested that I have one of the album’s tracks ready slightly ahead of schedule, so that he could play it at a reading he was giving — I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to present this intimate and heart-felt little work; I realized that constructing it for one violin and one guitar would perfectly fit the bill!
In the recently re-released “Existential Edition”, the recording of “Solitude’s Hypocrisy” holds a special place in my heart. Here, I was able to play the tune with my first composition teacher, Peter Yates. I just love the clear sincerity and “edge” present in our somewhat impromptu performance. 🙂
Enjoy this special recording of “Solitude’s Hypocrisy”!
“Solitude’s Hypocrisy” can be performed by an intermediate-advanced duo. Get the sheet music here! And stay tuned for our new work of next week…
