I spent some time last night searching for rhythmic constraints through poetry. Eric Whitacre has said that poetry contains its own music - that it’s bubbling at the surface of the prose. I have used this technique before and there are two poets that I usually turn to: Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda. On this evening I chose Neruda, aiming to find poetry that would fit the “Heart” and the “Hand” sections of the piece. For the “Hand” I found a piece titled I Call Upon You and the last three stanzas in particular that I thought were truly appropriate for this piece:
I need you, young brother,
young sister, listen to what I am saying:
I do not believe in inhuman hatred,
I do not believe man is the enemy,
I believe that with your hand and with mine
facing the villain and opposing his punishment
we will fill this country with joy
delicious and golden as wheat.
I will search for the rhythm and melodic contour within these words and incorporate them into the work.
For the “Heart” I chose Neruda’s single line poem My Soul:
My soul is an empty carousel at sunset.
With these pieces added to my mind map (which is updated, but not complete - will it ever be complete?) I have started to put pencil to manuscript and write some themes - starting with the ‘Heart.’ Check out how the lines of the poetry dictate the rhythm. It’s a little rough around the edges, but I’ve put it into Sibelius and have started to refine it. I will sleep on it and see how I feel about it tomorrow.