!blac

The composition is based on the poem !blac by e.e. cummings:

!blac
k
agains
t

(whi)

te sky
?t
rees whic
h fr

om droppe

d
,
le
af

a:;go

e
s
wh
IrlI
n

.g

The poem is approached in three ways:

(a) the piece reflects the form of the poem by considering the verses to be different sections; (b) the poem is regarded as abstract sound material; each line is treated separately as a sound, with no apparent semantic meaning; and (c) the poem is seen as a unified entity, where words connect to each other to form complete phrases; words and letters jump between neighbouring sections to make semantic sense; in this way, the sections are linked to form a meaningful totality.

The poem is interpreted as an evocation of the cycle of birth, life, death and renewal. A leaf that falls is a sign of death and at the same time, as an integral part of the life of a tree, is a sign of regeneration. The composition follows the course of the poem and tries also to convey the suggestion of cycle and regeneration by moving into a full circle and ending in the position it started. Theoretically, the piece can be played continuously in a loop.

back to Compositions from 2000 onwards