alap
(2005)
Soprano and ensemble
Instrumentation:
soprano
flute
recorders
clarinet and bass clarinet
violin
viola
cello
contrabass
percussion
Duration: 17'
"Alap (2005) is the second of McGowan’s compositions to be inspired by the Indian “alap” form (the “alap” is the slow section at the beginning of a raga, usually before the entry of the tabla with its regular pulse and rhythmic cycles, a way of unfolding the nature of the particular mode being used). In this piece he created an unusual scale in quartertones, far removed from the pure tunings of traditional Carnatic music, with emphasis on larger intervals such as that of three-quarters of a tone. The resulting microtonality is easily audible in the melodic writing of the opening. The piece was written for the Axyz Ensemble, a group that formed out of the monthly concert series entitled The Karnatic Lab that McGowan co-founded in Amsterdam in 1999, and uses nine players plus voice. A subgroup of voice, flute and recorder is evident at the opening with their melodies in imitation of each other; this trio alternates with, and finally is subsumed within, the orchestral textures of the rest of the ensemble. The voice closes the piece with several intense and dramatic solos."
- Bob Gilmore
Score available from Donemus Publishing
Written for the Axyz Ensemble
Commissioned by the Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst, Netherlands
First performance: RASA, Utrecht, May 1st, 2005