This chamber opera for solo soprano and electronic sound, (composed by Frances White,  written and directed by Valeria Vasilevski, and performed by Kristin Norderval), explores the necessity to put into words what is unspeakable, moving through situations of trauma or awe that are beyond words.  The "voice" struggles to reveal her secret, but questions the listener's willingness to hear.  Relentlessly, the voice searches for the heart that receives even the most despicable, or most desirable, truth.  

The staging/choreography consists of a storyboard composed primarily of transforming "mudras", or formal hand gestures found in Buddhist art.  As the piece evolves, these mudras form a mysterious metalanguage illuminating the text and music.  

The costume, which reflects Asian influences as well as the iconography of Christian saints, is spun from fiber optic threads.  In the final moments of the piece the vocalist herself disappears into a cosmos of light.  

This is an excerpt from the very end of the opera. 

"She Lost Her Voice That's How We Knew" was commissioned with funds provided by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, with additional awards from The Guggenheim Foundation for Frances White, and Norsk kulturrad (Statens kunstnerstipend) for Kristin Norderval.

"She Lost Her Voice That's How We Knew" (excerpt from end)

From a performance on Sept. 18, 2019.  Tom Piercy, clarinet, Sabina Torosjan, violin, and Marija Ilic, piano.

When I started composing this piece, I envisioned different sonic landscapes. As they evolved, an imaginary bird unexpectedly appeared: a fey, otherworldly creature who journeys through the musical spaces of the piece. While the landscapes have strong, even passionate emotional resonances, the bird remains apart from these, as wild creatures do.  The title is a line from Emily Dickinson's poem "Under the light".

The Arc of the Bird

My Piano Trio, inspired by the incomparable landscape of Denali National Park in Alaska, is in three movements.
1. Mountain — The mountains of Denali evoked powerful emotions in me. They are sublime, terrifying, exhilarating, dramatic, and yet possessed of an unearthly peace.
2. Tundra — Hearing the word “tundra” always made me picture a desolate and barren terrain, but in July it's the most alive place imaginable. If you look down, you see and hear the carpet of tiny wildflowers humming with bees; if you look up, you see golden eagles flying. In the higher elevations there are Dall sheep, and in the valleys there are caribou and sometimes bears. But while its beauty gave me great joy, I felt a sorrowful awareness of its fragility; how thoughtless human activity threatens this and all wilderness.
3. Wandering Tattler — The Wandering Tattler is a bird who mates and nests by the rivers, creeks, and streams of Denali. I like to imagine them soaring over the singing water in their courtship flights, calling to each other through the unending summer days of the far north.


Performance by Russell Kotcher, violin, Lukas Goodman, cello, and Tengku Irfan, piano

Piano Trio

"Phases of the moonflower" (2022) was commissioned by Random Access Music.  It is performed here by Lish Lindsey, flute; Thomas  Piercy, clarinet; Tomina Parvanova, harp; Josh Perry, percussion, and Tengku Irfan, piano.  This work is in 3 movements.  

1. Rainshine — The sun and the rain awaken the seed. 

2. Night — At night, all kinds of hidden processes take place. Plants breathe differently in the darkness than they do in the light. This secret undertaking allows for growth.

3. Petal shower — The moonflower opens at dusk, and for one night its beauty glows. But as the petals fall, I witness the fragility of its beauty, pointing to the transience of everything I love.

Phases of the moonflower

"Centre Bridge (dark river)" performed by Pauline Kim and Airi Yoshioka, violins; David Cerutti, viola, and Susannah Chapman, cello; Paul Hostetter, conductor. 

Centre Bridge is one of several  bridges that cross the Delaware river, connecting New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  Its ends are located in Stockton, NJ, and Solebury Township, PA.  The surface of the bridge is a metal grating, and as cars move across it, they generate singing tones that rise and fall. 

Centre Bridge (dark river) is the second piece that I've written about this bridge.  In both pieces, I made recordings of the traffic on it, and then used what I heard to shape the pitches and timing of the music.  In Centre Bridge (dark river), I particularly wanted to address the transforming power of the bridge.  When you're walking across it, you really are transported to a different world: not on land, or in the air, on in the water, but a place suspended between all of these different realities.  The bridge transforms the sound of traffic into a kind of music: into something beautiful and almost sentient.  And when you are back on land, your hearing is changed: when cars pass by on the street, you still hear in their sounds the singing of the cars on the bridge.   

The "dark river" of the title is, of course, the Delaware.  When I went to make the recordings for this piece, it was just after a series of heavy rains.  The river was very high and forceful, and this made it seem dark and even frightening.  And yet, to me, there is something in its presence that is always deeply comforting.  

Centre Bridge (dark river) was commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Centre Bridge (dark river)

"Under the rose" performed by Elizabeth Brown, shakuhachi

In 2010, the wonderful shakuhachi player Riley Lee was in residence in Princeton, and I had the opportunity to study with him.  We worked on repertoire from the Chikuho school, a style which was unfamiliar to me (I am a student of the Kinko school).   Among the pieces that we worked on was So Koku.  Riley explained that this is  a "secret" piece - an idea that I found mysterious and charming.  

I was invited to compose a short shakuhachi solo for the 2013 European Shakuhachi Society festival in Barcelona.  As I started to work on the piece, I found myself haunted by a recurring major third motive from So Koku  - so I decided to honor it by having the major third be an important part of my piece.  The title is actually an homage to the secrecy of So Koku:  the term "sub rosa" was used in medieval times to indicate a secret meeting - and in fact, the rose has been a symbol of secrecy (among many, many other things) since ancient times.  As a fanatic lover of roses myself (I grow over 200 roses in my own garden), I also liked the idea of connecting the sweet magic of the major third to that of standing under the rose, inhaling its beauty, mystery,  and fragrance.

Under the rose

This work for violin, viola, cello, and piano is performed by Karen Kim, violin, Robert Meyer, viola,  Kate Dillingham, cello, and Amir Khosrowpour, piano.  

In my recent music I have become interested in storytelling in various forms. This piece tells a story—but I do not know what that story is. It is told by a character who I understand, but who is unknown to me.

While composing this work, I was listening to traditional music of the hurdy-gurdy, an ancient instrument which is also known as the vielle a roue (wheel fiddle), or simply vielle. This music, with its melismas floating over a persistent drone, moved me deeply and permeated my writing. It seemed, somehow, to belong in the mysterious story I was trying to touch.

The title of the piece is a line from a poem by the tragic Roma poet Papusza. It captures something of the essence of both this unknown narrator and her story.

That of which I speak has all, all passed away

"Like the lily" is for viola, bass, and electronic sound. The sounds in the electronic part makes this part of my “bulb” series (started with "Winter aconites"), but the instrument parts are different from the other “bulb” pieces, and include references to Gregorian chant.

Like the lily

"Under the rose" for solo shakuhachi, performed by Elizabeth Brown (live performance)

"The book of roses and memory" for viola, narrator, and electronic sound. Text by James Pritchett. The performers are Liuh-Wen Ting, viola and Thomas Buckner, narrator. From my CD "In the library of dreams" (Pogus)

The book of roses and memory

Frances White — Winter aconites for chamber ensemble and tape (1993)
The winter aconite is a species of flowering bulb (Eranthis hyemalis).  Its small, yellow, buttercup-like flowers are among the very first to appear each year; in the northeastern United States it can bloom as early as February, while there is still snow on the ground.  Like so many of the little early bulbs, winter aconites will naturalize — they will propagate themselves and form large colonies.  
This piece, Winter aconites, was commissioned by the ASCAP Foundation and the Bang On A Can Festival in memory of John Cage.  Shortly after I began work on it (and before it had a title), I had a dream in which I brought a pot of winter aconite flowers to Cage.   He was delighted — he loved flowers and plants — and later during my visit, we made sandwiches with some of the blooms (I have no idea whether winter aconites are actually edible or not).  Like the flowers in my dream, this piece is a gift for John Cage.  
The tape part of Winter aconites was made at the Winham Laboratory of Princeton University.


Winter aconites was commissioned by the ASCAP Foundation for the Bang On A Can All-Stars. This recording is of a live performance of Winter aconites at Princeton University on October 12, 1993. 

Performers: Juliet Palmer, clarinet; Christopher Penrose, vibraphone; Michael Oesterle, electric guitar; James Pritchett, piano; Nat Miller, violoncello; Curtis Bahn, bass.

Winter aconites

These three preludes for solo piano were written in 2017.  This recording is pianist Tristan McKay's beautiful performance of them from Random Access Music's concert in January 2018.

Kithera

This is a performance by guitarist Nadav Lev and violinist Sabina Torosjan on May 14, 2019, as part of Random Access Music's Queens New Music Festival.

Written on Water

This is a performance by guitarist Nadav Lev and violinist Sabina Torosjan of "Written on water" (for guitar, violin, and electronic sound).  It was premiered at Random Access Music's Queens New Music Festival on May 14, 2019.

Written on water

For string quartet and narrator.  This recording is from a live performance of the work at Bard College in February, 2020.  It is performed by the brilliant Momenta Quartet (Emilie-Anne Gendron and Alex Shiozaki, violins; Stephanie Griffin, viola; Micael Haas, cello) with narration by James Pritchett.  

"And so the heavens turned" is one of a number of works by Frances White (composer) & James Pritchett (writer)  that combine music and storytelling, but this time it is about both the story and the storyteller.

The story in this case is from the Shahnameh (The Book of Kings), the eleventh­ century Persian epic written by Abolqasem Ferdowsi. The episode told here is the courtship of Zal and Rudabeh, the lovers who would go on to become the parents of Rostam, the great warrior hero of the epic. The title of the piece is a phrase found in the Shahnameh to note the passage of time: “And so the heavens turned . . . .”

This piece is dedicated to the memory of Mohammad Habibian, who introduced James to the Shahnameh and other works of Persian literature.

And so the heavens turned

This is a recording of a performance of "The book of evening" at a concert at Bard College in February of 2020.  It is performed by the Momenta Quartet: Emilie-Anne Gendron and Alex Shiozaki, violins; Stephanie Griffin, viola; Michael Haas, cello with Elizabeth Brown, shakuhachi. 

"The book of evening" was inspired by Mark Strand's beautiful poem “Moon.”  Strand's moon creates a path to “those places where what you had wished for happens.”  The music, a sonic image that reflects the verbal imagery of the poem, evokes a longing for that place, vanishing as the book of evening closes.  

This work was commissioned for the Momenta Quartet with funds from The Sparkplug Foundation and New Music USA.  Additional thanks to Reduta Deux.

The book of evening

I am a composer particularly known for my works combining live instruments and computer-generated electronic sound spaces.

Frances White

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