A series of pieces done in response to Naviar Records' weekly Haiku Challenge, each track written in response to a haiku posted on their blog, written and recorded within 7 days.

Haiku Challenge String Quartets

A track produced for Naviar Records Haiku Challenge. The piece is in response to the haiku -
so the earth may run
euphoric with light
moonbeam
For the piece I chose a systems approach as my starting point and assigned each letter of the alphabet a musical note (A - G, sharps and flats I added dependent on what key I chose). I felt using every letter would be too much and as haiku are more about amount of syllables, I chose the first letter from each syllable and built a melody around that. I then used the tintinnabulli technique to create a harmony and arranged the piece around variations switching the melody and harmony between violin, viola and cello.

So The Earth May Run (naviarhaiku386) - Adrian Lane

Another track produced for Naviar records' Haiku Challenge. Coincidentally, earlier in the day I had been reading about 'stretto fuga' techniques of the 16th Century (often used in religious music) which I thought fitted well with the theme of the haiku, so decided to experiment with elements of that approach. For me the 'serpent concealed' is represented by the chaotic violin that emerges near the end.

The Serpent's Concealed (naviarhaiku387) - Adrian Lane

A track for Naviar Records Haiku challenge. I wanted the music to have a gentle wave to it representing the sea; I didn't want to use actual drums where the haiku mentions a drum, so I tapped the body of my violin.

I'm Seeing The Blue Sea (naviarhaiku388) - Adrian Lane

A track for Naviar Records Haiku Challenge. The line 'Inhaling and exhaling' gave me the idea of having something with a lots of space, almost room to breath. The first section hopefully has that sense of inhaling and exhaling where the music comes in and out.

Inhaling And Exhaling (naviarhaiku389) - Adrian Lane

A track for Naviar Records' Haiku Challenge where a piece of music is composed in response to a haiku.
A very short piece; I wanted to have the violins soar out of the darkness for a brief moment, before going out, like the firefly mentioned.

For That Brief Moment (naviarhaiku390) - Adrian Lane

A piece for Naviar Records' weekly haiku challenge. As the first word is 'experimenting', I thought I'd experiment with odd time signatures. The haiku has 5, 5 and 8 syllables, so my piece is based round two bars of 5 beats and 1 bar of 8 beats. I also wanted the piece to be quite melodic with the melancholy feel of a moonlit night under the trees.

I Hung The Moon On Various Branches (naviarhaiku391) - Adrian Lane

Created for Naviar Records' weekly haiku challenge. I used the irregular pizzicato on the 1st and 2nd violins to represent the fireworks, together with a melancholy melody representing the other part of the poem.

Far Fireworks (naviarhaiku392) - Adrian Lane

A track for Naviar Records weekly haiku challenge, making a track in response to the haiku posted within one week. I wanted to capture the feeling of watching the rain hit the windows during a storm on a spring day. I also think the piece has a slightly medieval feel to it.

Rain In Spring (naviarhaiku394) - Adrian Lane

A track for Naviar Records' weekly haiku challenge. As this haiku mentions specific Japanese imagery (the kimonos and Tokyo's Sumida River) I thought I'd base my piece largely around the Hirajoshi pentatonic scale, although I have taken a couple of liberties and added an extra note in the first section.

Watching The Sumida (naviarhaiku396) - Adrian Lane

A track for Naviar Records' weekly haiku challenge; seven days to make a piece in response to the haiku posted. Like many of the other pieces I have produced for the challenge, this is based around the sound of the string quartet, playing solemn, minor key melodies.

On Many Solemn Nights We Stand And Marvel (naviarhaiku397) - Adrian Lane

A track for Naviar Records' weekly haiku challenge; seven days to write and record a piece in response to the haiku poem they post. I imagined a summer morning walking through the fields in the area I grew up, the pizzicato representing the cut hay and a pastoral melody.

Cool Cut Hay As The Sun Comes Up (naiviarhaiku402) - Adrian Lane

Visual artist, and musician. Adrian Lane creates instrumental neo-classical, ambient music and abstract textural mixed media paintings, many of his paintings can be found on the cover of his albums.

Haiku Challenge String Quartets

Adrian Lane :