Donemus Webshop — Trimurti

Other authors:
Vlijmen, Jan van (Composer)
Description:
The name 'Trimurti' refers to the so-called Indian trinity, consisting of the three principal gods of the Hindu pantheon. However, in some literature, - and in the title of this string quartet - the Trimurti symbolises the three great principles: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. According to the philosophy of Sankhya, these three principles that are responsible for all great occurrences in nature, both animate and inanimate. The first movement is 'Sattva', which means light, illuminating knowledge, lightness. From a technical point of view, I again make use, in this movement, of a technique which I also employed in my orchestral work 'Quaterni I': the use of the two basic elements of classic compositional technique, melody and harmony. It should be noted in this context that, as in the case in 'Quaterni I', the elements of melody and harmony are not conventionally employed. The melodic principle is better described as a 'cantus firmus' technique, in this case meaning a prearranged
part, a leading motive which travels through the entire pitch range. The leading and recognisable melodic line of 'Quaterni I' has here given way to a line with a significance more purely structural. The harmonic material consisting of chord formations ranging from four to eight different pitches, develops - in contrast to the procedure in 'Quaterni I' - 0 into a more horizontal or perhaps polyphonic realisation and interpretation of the vertical principle of organisation. Such a realisation presented itself spontaneously, given the nature of the ensemble for which the piece was composed. The second movement, 'Rajas', comes after a short connecting episode between the two movements, and means energy, activity, expanse. This principle is expressed in nature as strength and movement; in living organisms it evinces passion, endeavour, effort. The second movement is, musically speaking, the work's centre of gravity; a sustained exertion of power, carried by an extremely rapid movement in
which the independence of the four parts is much more strongly manifested than in the first movement. It is a real battle of endurance, making severe demands on the concentration and stamina of the executants. A second episode, for solo violin, connects the second and the third movement. 'Tamas' means darkness, heaviness, and is expressed in nature by rigidity, obstruction; in man as apathy, fear, sluggishness, etc. Musically, too, there is sluggishness, petrifaction, in sharp contrast to the second movement. In terms of compositional technique, this is translated into a structure which is at first glance extremely simple: a harmonic field moving upwards, in which the four-part structure of the beginning gradually forces its way through 5-, 6- and 7- part textures to the 8-part writing of the conclusion, which attains the upper limits of all four stringed instruments. - JAN VAN VLIJMEN

Sheet Music
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Product	Description	Price/piece	Count
Score	Download to Newzik (A4), 56 pages	EUR 23.24
	Download as PDF (A4), 56 pages	EUR 27.88
	Hardcopy, normal size (A4), 56 pages	EUR 46.48