Envoys

The author seeks to continue the line of musical and sound research initiated by his composition “Moroloja” (2006), for computer-processed voices and percussions. “Moroloja” is entirely based on an ancient funeral dirge, traditionally sung by professional mourners within the griko (greek-speaking) tradition of the Salento region (southermost Apulia). Drawing on this idea and also on some of the materials pertaining to that piece, this project undertakes to further investigate, at the moment of performance, possible relationships and links between traditional musical and vocal materials of the Italian South, medieval monody and real-time sound-processing tools. Besides a moroloi (Song of Death), musical materials will also include a love-song from the same cultural area (Beddha ci stai luntanu) and a profane medieval monody (Dolce lo mio drudo by Frederick II), juxtaposed to the two traditional songs by its affinities in poetic and musical content. The songs making up the basic material of the piece have been chosen for an essential shared feature: notwithstanding their different historical and cultural perspectives, all three are about leave-taking, parting, being left behind. During the flow of their existence, human relationships – here considered as primarily based on love – go through multiple phases. One of these is common to all, regardless of their nature or complexity: I am referring to the moment of conclusion. Death, dereliction, the parting of lovers, whether temporary or final – and the feeling of deep melancholy expressed by the human psyche in relating to these matters – can be traced through centuries of musical and poetic activity, drawing together cultures ostensibly distant in both space and time. Amorous lyric poetry does not always express feelings of joy and happiness directed towards the lover. Countless literary examples lead us to consider the feeling of love from a different – and sometimes ambiguous – perspective, as pain caused by separation from the loved one and as desire in the form of yearning for reunion. Among the most outstanding examples of this inflection are the mystical poems of the Middle East, where ambiguity of meaning conveyed by metaphor (human love, divine love, desire, separation, death, annihilation, reunion, resurrection, identification) is brought to an extreme degree of refinement. It is by taking its cue from these poetic ideas and from related sound imagery that this piece intends to give shape to its musical and technological content.