The viola is the subject of many jokes and ridicule in orchestral communities, which is unfortunate when people forget how absolutely stunningly beautiful the instrument is.  Something important I wanted to accomplish when writing Three Fantasias for Solo Viola is to utilize the full range of the instrument, to make it sound distinctly viola. The lower register of the viola can sound like a different instrument when compared to the higher register. I also wrote this piece because I have always wanted to collaborate with my good friend Erica Schwartz, and this was a good opportunity to improve my viola writing and make my debut in the viola repertoire. It is always so wonderful to write music as gifts for people.

Three Fantasias For Solo Viola (Full)

String Quartet in Two Movements, II

Inspired by the painting "Nocturne in Black and Gold — The Falling Rocket" by James Whistler.

Performed by Sarah Thomas (violin) and Phillip Hagopian (piano) at the Peabody Preparatory Composition Recital May 2017.

The Falling Rocket<

The Falling Rocket (2017 - for Violin and Piano)

Aurora, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion.

Carlos Aguilar, flute
Adam Floyd, clarinet
Sophie Wang, violin
Nitzan Gal, cello
Jacob Mason, piano
Alex Garde, percussion
Ari Sussman, conductor

Premiere:
New England Conservatory of Music
Jordan Hall, 9.19.17

In verdure and light,
Aurora soars and hears our
own vibrant colors.

Aurora - chamber ensemble - (2017)

In mid-2017, Rachael Lindsey asked me to write a piece for her religious diversity and peaceful coexistence recital. What would follow was the creation of one of my biggest pieces so far – and one of the most challenging to write. A Song of Grace is a one-movement violin and piano composition with influences from Christianity and Islam, as that mix of the two religions was the requested goal. Musically, the piece borrows from the central melody of my own chorale setting of Psalm 23 and the Maqam Bayati mode found in Arabic music. The incorporation quarter-tones in the Maqam Bayati, along with blending the Arabic influences with my own traditional style, became the root of the challenge with writing A Song of Grace. But with Rachael’s encouragement, the piece was finally completed.

There was one word that I frequently thought about when writing Rachael’s A Song of Grace: juxtaposition. To me, it was paramount that the conflict between the two musical cultures of the piece had to be as clear as I could make it. I saw this approach to composing as being reflective of the historical and political climate between Christians and Muslims: the war and violence, the pain and distress. Yet, I always saw the two religions as being not too different from each other. I see A Song of Grace advocating for peace and understanding, which are always possibilities amidst the long and numerous struggles. As the composition progresses and the clashes intensify through dissonance and polytonality, A Song of Grace resolves peacefully and softly. The fighting resolves and the love of God brings understanding to the different parts of humankind.  

-Ben Yee-Paulson
October 15th, 2017

Three Fantasias For Solo Viola (Full)

Ben Yee-Paulson

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