This piece will be performed at the Mostly Modern Festival next June by the American Modern Ensemble. This is a Work in Progress Mock Up before the Premiere.

Program Note:
This chamber piece delves into the vibrant musical traditions of Morocco, particularly those of the Amazigh people, the heart and soul of the Atlas Mountains. The earthquake of September 8th, 2023, cast a long shadow, especially in these mountainous regions where many Amazigh people reside. While the loss of life across Morocco was significant, the music itself transcends sorrow.

It explores the transformative power of music in the face of loss, reflecting the Amazigh belief in celebrating life even after a period of mourning. In their culture, grief eventually gives way to music and dance, a beautiful way to honour departed loved ones. This spirit of resilience and celebration infuses the very essence of this piece.

The evocative melodies of the High Atlas, often accompanied by unique percussion wind and stringed instruments, become a testament to the enduring spirit of the Amazigh people.  This work serves as the first movement of a larger suite exploring the rich tapestry of Moroccan music. It's a personal interpretation, where the threads of tradition and contemporary influences are intricately woven together.

While this piece aspires to offer a humble tribute to those lost in the earthquake and celebrate the enduring strength and vibrant cultural heritage of the Amazigh people and Moroccans in general, it ultimately seeks to foster a cross-cultural conversation. This creative interplay, however modest a contribution, seeks to transcend borders, enriching the global artistic landscape and building bridges of understanding across diverse cultures. Ultimately, this composition is a celebration of life, resilience, and the unifying power of music.

Moroccan Dances - 1. Hight Atlas The Majestic (Virtual Pre-Release)

Mortify Us  (Bach)

Taking its cue from the Hebrew description of the Creature of antiquity and imagination, this modern concerto features the virtuosic properties of the six-string electric violin with its immense range, while the various and creative sounds available to the synthesizer and electric wind instrument (EWI) enhance the beauty of the acoustic orchestra.

The three movements of this concerto tell a story of warriors setting sail upon the seas to find this ancient creature, Leviathan, for themselves.

In this movement:
III. The Hunt: “In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan...that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that [is] in the sea.”

We set forth again into the roaring waves,
this time under the counsel of the Old Warrior.
Within moments, we are on top of the Creature! 
It rises from the sea, knowing it must face us, for we will not relent.
The Hunt is ferocious!

And what was the final outcome of this mighty contest of wills 
Between man and beast?
Alas, I cannot say for certain
For the Old Warrior in his fury,
Followed Leviathan into the Ancient Deep,
To bring the fight to its own World.

The story is told that they are there,
Stirring up the waves from their eternal battle below
To this very day.

***
Thank you to Alfred Surenyan and the Andromeda Electric Orchestra for inspiring me to re-record this epic work!
____________________________________________
Get the accompanying interactive art flipbook to be further immersed in the story this music tells! https://sjwallin.gumroad.com/l/leviathan-book

Leviathan of the Ancient Deep

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Leviathan of the Ancient Deep: III. The Hunt

exploring the art of 432 hertz frequencies maeve moayedi is in for off record

Off record + maeve moayedi - 17.04.2024 - foundation.fm - 432HZ special

Folk Tune (Percy Whitlock)

"Song of the Open Road" is a poem by Walt Whitman from his 1856 collection “Leaves of Grass”. It has 15 sections, each with 3-4 stanzas. For the lyrics of the song that I have composed, I have chosen the most famous of these sections, which is the first. At the end of this introduction I have attached the lyrics of this section.

The intention has been to compose a small song to continue delving into the use of the singing voice synthesis software, Vocaloid. Since this software only sings in the English language (which is not one of my usual languages) I thought that it might be interesting to use a poem by an author of that language as a text and I decided on this American poet.

On the other hand, the most important issue in the harmonic-melodic aspect has been that I have considered it as an exercise in Modal Harmony. I have used a different mode for each of the stanzas of the poem and in this order: Phrygian, Dorian, Mixolydian and Lydian. It is an order that fulfills the elementary principle of going from less to more musical "brightness." I have also dispensed with the Ionian and Aeolian modes to get away from the tonal environment and enhance the modal color. In the use of each of these modes I have introduced a "strange" note, that is, it does not belong to the scale of the mode. In all cases this note is the one that corresponds to a semitone lower than the base note of the scale of the mode; it is also located in the last position of the melody of each stanza, closing it and coincides with the first note of the following stanza, but in this case it is not strange, on the contrary, it coincides with the characteristic note of the new mode. This is the way the different modes are chained together.

I attach the lyrics of the poem to facilitate your understanding: 


Song of the Open Road

Afoot and light hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are,
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.

(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,
I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go,
I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,
I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.)




Esta introducción en castellano:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OqX5rUbuEkHBFP8MlUnpJfH2LaJIynP9/view?usp=sharing

Aquesta introducció en català:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fKxXa2Ms5qZES9MdmYOnRT3894_cdC2r/view?usp=sharing

Song Of The Open Road

A musical setting of Sir Philip Sidney's poem 'My True Love Hath My Heart' by Adrian Brockless.

Soprano: Lizzie Adams
Violin: Victoria Barnes
Piano: Adrian Brockless

My true-love hath my heart and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given:
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss;
There never was a bargain better driven.
His heart in me keeps me and him in one;
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides:
He loves my heart, for once it was his own;
I cherish his because in me it bides.
His heart his wound received from my sight;
My heart was wounded with his wounded heart;
For as from me on him his hurt did light,
So still, methought, in me his hurt did smart:
Both equal hurt, in this change sought our bliss,
My true love hath my heart and I have his.

My True Love Hath My Heart

I made my treble solo debut in 1987 standing in at a day's notice to sing the first treble part of Allegri's Miserere Mei at St Bartholomew-the Great. The following year I gained a choral scholarship to St. Paul's Cathedral where I was a chorister from 1988 -1990. I subsequently transferred to Guildford Cathedral Choir (boarding school was not for me) where I became Head Chorister (decani) and regular soloist. In 1993 I recorded Allegri’s Miserere on an album of passiontide music (Crucifixus (Herald Label)) - again as first treble.

Outside my commitments for the cathedral choirs, I was a regular treble soloist in concerts and services across London and the Home Counties including Westminster Cathedral and Sandhurst Military Academy; I also did regular work for my father (Brian Brockless) at St. Barthlomew-the-Great.  
In 2001 I was involved in the production of a CD - Songs of Heaven and Earth - released by Queen's College Cambridge (Guild Label). 

More recently, My music has been featured on both BBC TV and radio.

My True Love Hath My Heart

Adrian Brockless

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