For Contemporary Music Orchestra
Composed: 2017
Duration: 10'
Performed by Bienen Contemporary Music Ensemble
Conducted by Ben Bolder
World Premiere
I have always been fascinated by illuminated manuscripts from the Medieval era - their exquisite beauty and sacred nature captivated me. Some of the most painstakingly created pages have a seemingly impossible level of detail when you consider the fact that these were created hundreds of years ago. I knew that I eventually wanted to write a piece of music inspired by illuminated manuscripts, especially after visiting the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston and seeing the large volumes of illuminated musical manuscripts.
Thus, this piece was born - but the idea evolved as I wrote. Almost immediately after beginning to put notes to the page, I realized I wanted to try to depict the Medieval era itself alongside the manuscripts that were created during that time period. Of course, the first musical connection that came to mind with the era is Gregorian Chant. I have always enjoyed the mystical nature of Gregorian Chant and knew that it would serve as nicely juxtaposing material to the music I planned to write to describe the illuminated manuscripts themselves.
The pieces eventually all fit together, and Illumination as you will hear tonight is written in four connected sections: The Dark Ages, The Stained Glass, Chant, and The Chi Rho Page, respectively (The Chi Rho Page is perhaps the most famous page of all the illuminated manuscripts - it is from the Book of Kells and is known for its unparalleled level of detail and decoration). Each section was inspired by the titular concepts, and I hope the sections come together to form a piece that takes the listener on a historic journey of darkness and majesty. A snippet of the chant is used as a motif throughout the piece, and the ensemble closes with a literal chant of the Northwestern University motto, forming a connection to the title "Illumination" not only as a reference to the illuminated manuscripts, but also to the concept of knowledge and truth.
If you haven't had a chance to go see a real illuminated book with your own eyes, I strongly encourage you to make the opportunity. I hope you will be awed and mesmerized by the intricate beauty of the pages as I was.