Full video performance found here: https://chasechandlermusic.com/project/let-him-dream/

“...in 1983, Nobel laureate Francis Crick and his Salk Institute colleague Graeme Mitchison argued… that the brain's neural memory systems are easily overloaded and that humans experience dream-laden REM to eliminate cognitive debris. In other words, dreams are nothing more than a mechanism for the nervous system to clear the brain of unnecessary, even harmful memories.” *

Dreams come and go, shift and change, inspire and scare, yet affect only those who choose to be affected. Sigmund Freud famously stated, “dreams are the royal road to the unconscious.” What would the landscape of a subconscious dreamscape sound like? Some welcome, even invoke, dreams, while others cannot wait to wake up from them. Dreams are both common and unique to each individual, but the opinions towards them vary drastically. Are those who are more intune with their subconscious mind more willing to reflect on their dreams? These mixed perspectives on dreams inspired this interpretive composition, along with the title of Sylvain Coulombe’s painting, a simple request: “Let him dream.”

Just before the two electronic devices illustrate modern day distractions, the pianist begins the piece by abruptly setting a “white-noise” landscape by pressing as many keys as possible. Empty pill bottles bounce around the strings as further distractions (or sleep aids) in our need to dream in the soundscape created by the acoustic piano. Slowly, subconscious-inspired melodic material begins to float over two elongated, separate recordings of the composer stating, “Let him dream,” slowed down by 150 times and mixed with field recordings of cars going by (often slowed by 5 times). The resultant audio collage further references some people’s need for white-noise when trying to dream as well as our inability to decipher how time is experienced while sleeping.

Each chaotic chord structure later in the piece is directly followed by silence in the piano part while the electronics blast white-noise, illustrating how our minds slip in and out of different dreams. In an attempt to access the unconscious, much like dreams do, the pitch material for the loud cluster-chords was improvised by the composer while viewing Sylvain Coulombe’s painting in virtual reality through ArtGate VR’s online art exhibit. Overtone analysis on the resultant lower clusters revealed empty frequency bands untouched by overtones. Each void pointed toward a single pitch and each pitch comprised the opening melody and much of the melodic development in the piece.

Sections of this piece call for the pianist to improvise on predetermined pitches as a way to involve the performer’s subconscious as well. Throughout the work, moments of calm are disrupted by anxious and even startling moments through extended techniques and visually stimulating performance art such as hitting the piano strings. As the piece ends with a slower, calmer aesthetic, the pianist is again left to explore any residual musicality by again allowing subconscious ideas to sound through the piano in the last indeterminate-inspired passage.

*cited from the 1999 article, “The biology of dreaming: a controversy that won’t go to sleep,” written by Maury Breecher, published in the 21stC Journal (Volume 3, Issue 4) by Columbia University.

"Let Him Dream" - Solo Piano (2021)

The most popular version of the original Medieval hymn, “Pange lingua,”  was written by Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century as a means to celebrate the “Feast of Corpus Christi.” The first phrase roughly translates from Latin into “Sing, my tongue, the Savior’s glory.” The title of this piece takes the first word of every two phrases (“pange,” “sanguinisque,” and “fructus”) to form: Sing, Noble Blood.

The most prominent characteristic of “Pange lingua” is the arch of the melodic line - by the first two phrases, the lowest note and the highest note are reached. The remaining phrases react to the beginning rippling effect by gradually slowing down (never reaching the highest note again and always leading downward back to the initial note “E”). 
When analyzing further, seven prominent intervals can be seen between the entirety of this 28-note chant: unison, minor 2nd, Major 2nd, minor 3rd, Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, and Perfect 5th. After counting the instances of each interval and assigning a chromatic rhythm series along the interval progression, a clear rhythmic motif becomes clear: the dotted 8th followed by the 16th note. This rhythmic idea can be seen emphasized on the first leap of a perfect fourth in the trumpet part.

CHROM. RHYTHMS
INTERVALS

P5
P4
M3
m3
M2
m2
Unison

INSTANCES

1
2
2
7
18
7
15

The construction of Sing, Noble Blood is heavily influenced by the construction of the original chant. The order of intervals presented in both the original chant and this brass trio occur in a specific order: minor 2nd, Major 2nd, Perfect 4th, minor 3rd, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th. This expansion of melodic intervals in the chant is contrasted by the emphasized 2nds in the final phrase - another reason for the many rise and falls in Sing, Noble Blood. 
The iconic sound and sway of chant music is respected in this composition; of course, harmonically it is far more explorative in nature (though still constructed of intervals mentioned above). Brass instruments were chosen to relate most closely to the timbre and character of voices. Many ritardandos/accelerandos, fermatas, tempo markings, and irregular meters/meter changes were used to allow for a near speech-like freedom that chant expresses. Throughout the piece, a playful reverence evolves into chaotic entanglement only to gradually settle down again, hinting at cyclical chant.

"Sing, Noble Blood" - brass trio (2020)

Movement three, "Cataclysm," of the string quartet album "Between the Far Spaces" releasing May 5, 2021.

For more information, visit:
https://chasechandlermusic.com/project/between-the-far-spaces/

Recorded by Esession Strings with audio production by Luminarcanum Records, along with compositional mentorship from Dr. Dello Joio, professor at The Juilliard School.

"Between the Far Spaces" is a 4-movement, 13-minute string quartet work that illustrates the world-altering year that was 2020. By far, one of the most upsetting things we witnessed was how quickly the vast majority follow mass hysteria and popular beliefs. One second, we’re watching the news, the next, we’re all grabbing toilet paper! Each movement expresses the stages of the anxiety and relentless motion between the many moods we’ve all witnessed throughout this last year.

Between the Far Spaces

Between the Far Spaces (string quartet album preview)

The Lord's Prayer (Chase Chandler, tenor)

A Chase Chandler original premiered on Feb 15, 2015 at St. John's Luther in Orange by members of Cinque: Michael Miller on clarinet and Gretchen Sheetz on harp.

Garden Song (clarinet & harp duet)

Performed on 7/12/2015 for the First Church of Christ, Science in Newport Beach, CA. By Buryl Red, Arranged by Lloyd Larson.

In Remembrance (arr. by Lloyd Larson)

Light Of The World (by Andrew Brewis)

Speak Out, O Soul! (Music by Daniel Burton)

All improvised by the composer.

Predetermined pitches were chosen for the piano part. Other lines started in this way, but then I ventured outside the lines, off intuition, improvising in the moment. By improvising with pitches and reacting more to rhythms, it was kind of a game of chance. My unfamiliarity with the previous recorded parts helped with reactionary decision-making, but musical instincts (maybe luck even) allowed for things to occasionally line up more harmoniously.

Orange Contingency (experimental electronic)

Performed live in 2017 at OCCCA by Newgate Orchestra members. 
Sung by the composer.
Text by the composer.

An excerpt of the full 1-hour opera.

Reverie: Act II Scene III

“I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.”
― John Cage

Chase Chandler

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