through the light

Both the string quartet through the light and the trio 5 fragments in 3 were written in 2022, and share similar compositional approaches. Exploring the several cultures of her family’s heritage, Ketty Nez considers folk traditions of Central Europe and Turkey; these two works use fragments of tunes recorded and transcribed as part of Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist Béla Bartók’s extensive research. In these two compositions, folk melodies, dating from the early part of the twentieth century, and traditional choral styles, are viewed through a modern lens a century later, creating rich associations and a “theater of the ear.”

through the light references three Anatolian folk songs recorded and transcribed by Bartók in 1936, a Romanian violin tune he recorded in 1908, and the “ojkanje” style of singing found in Croatia. In the first movement, “turn me this way, turn me that way,” intensive motivic reworking finally “blossoms” into clearly heard folk motives, set in static and repetitive ostinati textures, to be performed with wild and uninhibited abandon. One of the two Anatolian sources is a dance song, with the refrain “turn me this way, turn me that way.” The other song states dryly, “I stayed a bachelor for seven years.” After the strenuous virtuosity of the first movement, the second movement, “looking out the window, a duet,” allows one to take one’s breath. Added as a duet to the Anatolian “bachelor’s” song of the first movement, are phrases of a third Anatolian song, the opening line of which refers to “leaning out the window” (gazing at one’s beloved). Half stanzas of these two songs are alternated, interwoven, and elaborated to create an intricate duet played by the violins. The third movement, “calling out,” is inspired by gestures from “ojkanje” singing of Croatia, in which two or more singers emphasize sustained dissonant intervals through the use of elaborate trills.

5 fragments in 3 are musical “reflections” of Romanian violin and “fleur” (flute) tunes recorded in the 1910’s by Bartók. “in the rain, an introduction” serves as an improvisatory introduction to “organum, and a dance,” using phrases of a dance melody recorded with 2 violinists, the accompanying performer playing an instrument with only 3 strings tuned to allow close position chords. ”calling lost sheep” is a category of melodies performed by shepherds who have either lost or found their sheep, performing a “fleur,” a notched flute which sounds like a small recorder.  In “dance steps,” the saxophone (or clarinet) and viola repeat and modify fragments of the original dance tune in continuous variation, mirroring the restless piano arpeggiation. “postlude, a horn call” recalls parts of former folk melodies of the set, and ends with a fleur melody “in imitation of an alphorn” (an actual genre of music). The original version for soprano saxophone (or clarinet) and piano, entitled 5 fragments, was at the same time expanded by including the viola. The trio version was premiered by Jennifer Bill, soprano saxophone, Daniel Doña, viola, and Ketty Nez, piano, at Boston University, on February 9, 2023.

A deep and heartfelt thank you to all the performers for their indefatigable energy, enthusiasm, and exquisite artistry, to John Weston, and to Boston University for its funding support, which made this project possible.

–Ketty Nez