Brendan Faegre

composer, percussionist

Spectral Beams (2010)

Duration: 6'30"

Instrumentation: String Quartet + Woodwind Quintet

Notes:

"Colour is a power which directly influences the soul. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, and the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul."

- Wassily Kandinsky

In Spectral Beams, I sought to translate four colors--blue, violet, red, and yellow--into the musical realm, and then craft a compelling structure that sequences, layers, and juxtaposes the four subjects. My primary goal was to keep the instrumentation, timbre, gestures, and melodic and harmonic language distinct for each color, to facilitate hearing multiple colors simultaneously. The sequence of colors as I perceive it are:

Black--Blue--Black(with a thread of white)--Violet--Blue/Violet--
Red--Black/White--Yellow--Red/Yellow--Blue/Violet/Red/Yellow--White

Although I am sure there is some truth to Kandinsky's theories regarding universal color associations, I am equally certain that some of you may perceive different colors than I had intended. I embrace this, and if you are able to perceive the interaction of any four colors, I am totally satisfied. I hope you find this game of the senses as enjoyable as I do.

This piece was composed in collaboration with Kelsey Breece of the Indiana University Contemporary Dance Program, who set choreography to the work for five dancers.

Listen: (live recording w/ dancers)

Listen to full piece
[Ad-hoc ensemble / Brendan Faegre, conductor]

View full perusal score

Back to Works