Unité, an eleven minute piece for soprano and chamber ensemble, is a setting of selections from Pensées by Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). Left unfinished at the time of Pascal’s death and subsequently published posthumously in a variety of forms and editions, Pensées is a complex work of prose, with
sections in the manuscripts consisting only of unordered fragments and incomplete thoughts on a variety of philosophical and religious topics. From this source, I arranged a selection from two fragments into a free verse setting, consisting of five sections, and set these sections to music.

The first, third, and fifth sections are taken and adapted from one fragment, while the second and fourth sections are taken from another. Arranged in this arch form, the latter fragment is positioned so as to intrude upon the original fragment. The original is a consideration of infinity, while the second describes the finite nature of humankind and the futility of longing for the past or future — temporal horizons we cannot reach. In the fifth and final section, the original fragment considers humankind’s position in the infinite, and the paradoxical concept of an infinite soul residing in a finite body. As arranged in the piece, the human, finite perspective of existence interrupts the contemplation of the infinite “universal being,” until both the finite and the infinite are unified in a mysterious harmony in the fifth section, which Pascal can only describe as “incredible.” Reflecting this structure, the piece is divided into five continuous movements. The “infinite” topic of movements one, three, and five is characterized by smooth melodies in the voice and a recurring static chord, each note fading in and out of the texture, out of phase with the rest: “this is a point moving everywhere at infinite speed; for it is one in all places and is wholly in each place.”

Contrastingly, the second and fourth movements consist of more disjunct motion, rapid trills and accelerating notes, as if grasping for what is yet to come: “We scarcely ever think of the present; and if we think of it, it is only to take light from it to arrange the future.” Just as the separate streams of the text join into a unified conclusion in the fifth section, so too does the previous musical material coalesce, bringing together the disparate texts and sounds into a final accord.

The modern French translation of Pascal’s manuscripts were prepared by Dr. Dominique Descotes of Université Blaise Pascal (France), as found on the research database www.penseesdepascal.fr.; it is used with kind permission.

This piece served as my thesis for my MM Composition degree from Bowling Green State University, and was written while studying with Dr. Mikel Kuehn. Many thanks to him and all who performed, shaped, and otherwise contributed to the piece's development!

Written October 17, 2015 through January 21, 2016

Premiered February 4, 2016 in Bryan Recital Hall, Bowling Green State University, Ohio

Ensemble:
Hillary LaBonte: soprano
Paul Mizzi: flute/alto flute
Nick Zoulek: alto saxophone
Erin Cameron: B-flat clarinet/bass clarinet
Jen Meister: percussion
Emily Custer: piano
Kalindi Bellach: viola
Aleks Tengesdal: cello
Maria Mercedes Diaz Garcia: conductor

Cover art: Jonathan Richardson


Unité for soprano and chamber ensemble - live recording (2016)

Ben Richardson