'Naghme-yeh Eshgh,' a Composition with Analysis and Survey of Existing Literature
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TextProducer: University of Northern Colorado 1999Subject(s): Abstract: Despite the diversity of sacred choral compositions which use orchestral accompaniment, there have been virtually no such works which use the writings of the Bahá'í Faith. While some Bahá'í composers have used accompaniment for their settings of the Faith's sacred writings, few have composed arrangements for chorus and orchestra. In order to analyze contemporary settings of religious texts, the author has turned to two prominent 20th century composers. Ralph Vaughn Williams' The Voice Out of the Whirlwind and Krzysztof Penderecki's From the Psalms of David have been chosen for their widely diverse treatments of religious texts. Compositional techniques, text strategies., and other considerations which have been discovered during the analyses nurture the creation of an original work. The resulting composition is in a medium which is underused: a choral and orchestral setting of sacred texts from the Bahá'í Faith. The title of the four-movement work, Naghme-yeh Eshgh, is Persian -- the language of Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The loosely translated meaning of the title is "Melody of Love" and refers to the Bahá'í philosophy about the nature of God's love. The techniques employed in the work include, but are not restricted to, the pantriadic, free twelve-tone, quartal harmony, and polytonal styles. The author hopes that Naghme-yeh Eshgh wil;l provide future composer with a model for their own settings of texts from the Bahá'í Faith.
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Despite the diversity of sacred choral compositions which use orchestral accompaniment, there have been virtually no such works which use the writings of the Bahá'í Faith. While some Bahá'í composers have used accompaniment for their settings of the Faith's sacred writings, few have composed arrangements for chorus and orchestra. In order to analyze contemporary settings of religious texts, the author has turned to two prominent 20th century composers. Ralph Vaughn Williams' The Voice Out of the Whirlwind and Krzysztof Penderecki's From the Psalms of David have been chosen for their widely diverse treatments of religious texts. Compositional techniques, text strategies., and other considerations which have been discovered during the analyses nurture the creation of an original work. The resulting composition is in a medium which is underused: a choral and orchestral setting of sacred texts from the Bahá'í Faith. The title of the four-movement work, Naghme-yeh Eshgh, is Persian -- the language of Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The loosely translated meaning of the title is "Melody of Love" and refers to the Bahá'í philosophy about the nature of God's love. The techniques employed in the work include, but are not restricted to, the pantriadic, free twelve-tone, quartal harmony, and polytonal styles. The author hopes that Naghme-yeh Eshgh wil;l provide future composer with a model for their own settings of texts from the Bahá'í Faith.