1 / 3
0:00/0:00
Solo
2026
Crotales
Sitar
- Program Notes
- Chamak is a Hindi word with multiple meanings in English: I chose to interpret it as “Shine”, which is what I sought to reflect in this piece. I imagined a group of lanterns or crystals floating through the air and shimmering as brightly as possible. This work revolves around three phrases that are constantly repeated and varied throughout. The first phrase uses mostly sixteenth notes that increase in number every time the phrase reappears; the second phrase is a very brief, bell-like motif, and the third phrase is a 2-against-3 polyrhythm. These phrases comprise nearly the entire melodic framework of the composition. The piece uses two scales; the minor pentatonic scale, and a nearly identical scale with a raised 7th note, creating this exotic quality. The first two sections of the piece use almost the same exact material, with the raised 7th being present in the 2nd section. This transitions into a brief, mysterious middle section that eventually builds to a loud climax, representing the shining of light at its most powerful, before it dies down. The piece concludes with constantly switching between the two scales as it repeats the main melodic material, until the light fully fades away. I chose to accompany this piece with the drone of a sitar, as a nod to my Indian heritage and to complement the title of the work. The drone provides a serene backdrop, almost as if someone is playing the sitar itself while watching a shining light that intensifies and then disappears.
- Recording Notes