The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone

I have drawn on music from various cultures to create a ‘hymn’ in celebration of the coming of light and the turning of seasons.

The piece begins with a reference to a Swedish herding call - a special high-pitched song which carries over long distances. This music returns as a refrain throughout. The first part of the piece is inspired by ancient natural horns and primitive drumming, interspersed with more modern ‘blues’ harmonies, and the climax is reached as a bell-like clamour in C major, depicting the moment at the solstice when light enters the prehistoric tomb.

After this the music becomes more fragmentary; half-heard glimpses; as if the shaft of light has somehow released sounds stored in stone for milleniae; layers of music long forgotten. Christian influences appear, drawing on psalms and chants from different traditions celebrating the enlightenment of Whitsun.