"Golden Heart" (chamber symphony). (Original composition);.

Abstract

Golden Heart, a two-movement work for chamber orchestra was composed in Winona, Minnesota in 1992. Tonality (tonal centers) is used as an organizing factor in both movements. The first movement, an experiment in texture, has tonal centers (cadence points) which are organized in ascending fifths: B-F#-C#. This "large-scale" organization is reflected on the motivic level by the oboe solo at the beginning, which forms the basis for most of the harmonic and melodic material of the movement. In this solo, the interval of a fifth is transposed up in major seconds. Fourths, fifths, thirds and sixths are laid out in similar ascending whole tone rows at various times throughout both movements. The second movement has tonal centers which reflect the ascending fifths: D-A (F# minor)-E with brief excursions into G and C (A minor). A brief coda sums up the melodic material and redirects the harmony to B where it began in movement I. The dominant pedal is a conspicuous harmonic device in this movement, and reflects my effort in this piece to incorporate tonal techniques into a contemporary context. The heart has long been considered a center of emotion, and why? Love, passion, rage, good and evil--all have been said to reside there. Tantric Buddhism teaches that there are "gathering points" of life energy, or "chakras," located along the spine, each associated with a particular deity, color, vibration, smell, as well as various aspects of human nature (sex, hunger, intellect, etc.). Indeed the heart and throat chakras are associated with love and compassion in this most ancient of systems. As the diary of a brief year of my life, living among the bluffs of the upper Mississippi, this piece represents the effort to send forth the heart's vibration in hopes that it may resonate within another. It is my art, my life, my gift, my valentine.