Convoked Enigmas

[quantum]

A Symphonic Suite for organ in four movements.

1. Procession and Pomp
2. Oration of Wisdom
3. Introspection
4. Institutionalized Joy


Possibly, a continuation of my investigations on educational centres.  I will leave it up to the music, rather than attempt an unsatisfactory word based descriptor. 

[quantum]

[quantum]

[quantum]

[ted]

This is a mighty suite of improvisations Neil. I looked up the meaning of "convocation" in order to better understand what I assumed was another example of your splendid impressionism. Aside from the rather delightful special meaning of a cluster of eagles, it seems a convocation is a group formalism or ritual, mainly associated with education, religion or freemasonry. As I have no connection with any of those magisteria I found it impossible to construct a sensible impressionist image. Fortunately, as I have always maintained, any music can be approached as abstract sound while allowing the mind to impose such vistas it cares to conceive.

I have only listened right through once so far but at least two or three listenings are probably necessary, particularly as I have a personal deficit in that I seem to link organ music with the false extremes of the fairground or the funeral; that fault lies squarely with me. I found the introspection, the third movement, to contain a world of beauty in its detail, once I let my mind run free, and it is the movement I can most readily identify with, even if my images are unintended.

Thanks for posting these deeply thought out pieces.

[quantum]

Thank you for your keen observations, Ted.  This suite is somewhat inspired by ceremonies one may encounter in education, however, I don't want to constrain a listeners experience to just that one perspective.  If another idea resonates with a listener more, than I am surely open to it. 

The pieces were all recorded one after another, in about an hour.  The notion of packaging the pieces as a suite only occurred to me after the second piece.  It seemed like that piece was asking to be part of a larger idea.  The third movement, is the one which I was most able to free my mind, and let the music guide me where it wished to go. 

I don't think that particular perception of organ music is only yours.  Pop culture has done a lot to condition many people in associating organ music with funerals, Halloween or the circus.  The versatility and beauty of the instrument and its music is just not being put out there enough.  One of the reasons I became interested in the instrument is improvisation, and the value the organ community places on developing skills to improvise. 

[ronde_des_sylphes]

This is very convincingly done. Perhaps like Ted, I found the most accessible pleasures in the third movement. I found the first movement in particular reminded me of Messiaen.

[quantum]

Thanks for listening.

Messiaen's music does resonate with me quite a bit, however I don't believe I made a conscious decision to improvise a Messiaen inspired piece.  Although, in hindsight I can hear parts that are reminiscent of his music.