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Carol Of The Bells

from Carol Colors by Rudi Seitz

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The original Carol of the Bells was composed by Mykola Leontovych in 1904, based on a repeating four-note motif from a Ukranian folk chant. In the piece presented here I worked only with that four-note motif and didn't refer to any of Leontovych's additional material. I took the motif as the basis for a two-part canon. My structural concept was to state the motif in every measure, alternating between the upper voice in odd measures and the lower voice in even measures. The canon is not strict -- there are some subtle differences between the upper and lower voices, but the overall effect is of one voice echoing the other. To keep things interesting with so many statements of the same motif, I took the motif through a cycle of keys, with a modulation every four bars. The piece is divided into two halves. In the first half, the rhythms are simple, but it may be difficult to hear each entrance of the carol motif, because whenever the motif enters there is also something changing in the other voice. In the second half, the rhythms are highly syncopated and the impression may be one of increased complexity and excitement; the pitches are basically the same as before but now the carol motif can always be heard as the single entrance at the beginning of each bar (the other voice is now tied on the first beat), and there are some other small decorations added. Each of these halves actually consists of two copies of the same cyclic progression, first starting in a higher register and descending one octave by the time the home key is reached again, then repeating the whole cycle to descend another octave. As with all canons, there are many paths a listener might follow through the piece. You can try following the top voice exclusively, or the bottom voice exclusively. You can also focus on carol motif, hearing how it bounces back and forth between the two voices. Or you can let the two voices coalesce in your ear to create a unified soundscape.

Instrument: harp
Style: two-voice counterpoint in canon

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from Carol Colors, released December 15, 2014

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Rudi Seitz Boston, Massachusetts

Rudi draws upon his passion for the counterpoint of Bach and Renaissance masters, his delight in the expressive poignancy of Schubert and Chopin, and his fascination with jazz and the musics of North and South India to craft compact works in which every note counts. Along with composing, he sings and plays guitar. Rudi lives in Boston, MA. ... more

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