It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but I wanted to take a moment to share all the excitement with you! ^_^
Firstly, if you recall my last post detailing my processes of writing “The Oracle,” I’m very proud to announce that I did finish (and by the deadline).
Among my side-passions in the regular Journey of Life is the reading of Tarot Cards and their placement in the ancient Tree of Life. I like to take a more psychological approach and use them as a sort of “mirror for the subconscious.” I take joy in the shared symbolism we all have with the characters and stories that are found in a typical deck.
I used a total of 50 tarot cards to construct the framework for this quintet. Because there is both an element of chance (in that the process of my drawing the cards and their placement in the 5 separate tarot spreads I used, is all random) and an element of “foreordained knowledge” (or pre-compositional structure), the resulting textures of this work are rich with meaning indeed.
Essentially, each suit of the Minor Arcana (Fire, Water, Air, and Earth) was assigned to one of the melodic instruments (respectively: violin, cello, flute, clarinet), and all of the Major Arcana was assigned to the piano. Each number of the Minor Arcana was assigned an interval which, in combination with its card’s proper meaning, formed the basis on which that instrument’s featured melody was built.
For the Major Arcana, I mapped out the piano’s full range in accordance with the branches of the Tree of Life. When a Major Arcana card was drawn, that card’s typical placement on the Tree guided me to which register the piano’s line would be placed. And, as with the Minors, a card’s traditional interpretation was a key factor in the styling and mood of each part for the piano.
“The Oracle” has thus emerged as a multi-faceted, deeply layered, story-driven reflection of the human condition.
It is definitely one of my most favorite compositions to date! I really can’t wait to have it performed by real professionals someday! 🙂
For now, you can enjoy the digital demo below.
https://soundcloud.com/sarah-wallin-huff/the-oracle-official-demo
Another demo recording I’ve finally finished was that for “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” a set of traditional Scottish tunes I wrote for two fiddles and band in 2011.
https://soundcloud.com/sarah-wallin-huff/bonnie-prince-charlie-official-demo
Finally, I was also able to complete the proper and official version of my 2012 song, “Kandy (Your Smile, Your Eyes).” Here’s a cool little secret: I’ve decided I want to include this song in my coming fairytale rock opera… 😉 In just a week or so, I plan on recording the vocals and releasing it as its own single. So keep on the look out for that! 😀
My little performance-collective, Memories & The Gray, was asked back to perform at AMPLYFi in L.A., and you can be sure we’ll be performing both “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and “Candy” that night — you won’t want to miss it! (Plus, we’ll be passing out some gifts at the show, so be sure to get your ticket today!) 😀
Come see us at AMPLYFi in Sunday July 10, 6:30pm!
What I’ve done is set up a complex set of “rules” that guide my writing based on the random drawing of tarot cards… But it’s turned out to be both an 