Start

Music from Afar for mixed choir, 4 trumpets, 4 horns, 2 trombones, piano, chimes, gong and tam-tams (1974)

1. sound verticals of the chimes and the piano, in which what comes to the fore is a tritone (F sharp-C) played fortissimo and piano;
2. moving mass of the choir sound in pianissimo – each singer independently performs his or her part, which comprises notes with freely changed pitches sung bocca chiusa (mouth closed) or bocca aperta (mouth opened);
3. semiquaver module – played as fast as possible (piano and chimes), built of repetitions of an octave (F sharp¹-F sharp²), and C major chord with an added fourth;
4. long brass chord;  
5. gong or tam-tam sound.

Essentially, there is one more, extremely important component of this composition, namely the pause. It is during long pauses lasting several dozen seconds that the modules played by the piano, chimes and gong ring out. There are other, very interesting phenomena happening at the same time as well. In order to notice them, we need to take a look at the texture and formal structure of the work. By doing so, we will distinguish two layers in the composition. The first is a homogeneous, formless sound mass produced by the choir, a sound mass floating about, slowly oozing out, as it were. The second layer is made up of the remaining elements appearing throughout the work. The sound effect is sometimes surprising. It turns out that we are dealing with a clear two-layer structure only in the first phase of the composition. The sharply delineated chime and piano modules (1 and 3) are autonomous qualities here. Yet their sustain and module one played piano are closer in their expression to the choral layer (2). Especially when they are sustained, the qualities in question (1 and 3) seem to be submerged in the choral substance. In the following two modules (4 and 5) wind instrument chords do not in any way dominate and obscure the choir voices, while the sound of the gong gradually disappears in the sound matter of the choir.

Thus, the pauses play a very important role in the composition: this is where the choral part begins to come to the fore – as if swelling or even churning up only to recede again, when the clear sound of the chimes and the piano returns. From number 14 this effect is enhanced by undulating and irregular crescendi and decrescendi of the choral voices and changes in the duration of the various notes. From number 17 onwards the composer additionally heightens the undulation and swelling effect by optional changes of the number of notes and register in which the various choral voices move (up and down, gradually accelerating and decelerating). The finale (from number 18) features a gradual transition from crescendo to mezzopiano, and then from decrescendo until perdendosi (dying away).

To put it differently, the instrumental layer gradually sinks into the choral layer to become completely submerged in it. In turn, the latter gradually begins to emerge, as if from nothingness, and absorb the instrumental matter. Having done that, it returns to silence again. The title of the work – Music from Afar – thus reveals to some extent the idea behind the piece: the sound fading out into silence (afar) and emerging from this silence again. The situation can be read not only musically, but also symbolically: as sinking into oblivion and being born, recreated anew. Room for reflection is so vast that it seems unnecessary and even inappropriate to suggest any non-musical interpretation.