| Genius Loci, from the Latin "spirit of place," refers to the unique atmosphere of a place. Composers, writers and artists throughout history have been inspired by place. Genius Loci---Spirit of Place is my own exploration of the meaning of "place." The piece is not a representation of place but instead represents the distinctive residue of a place that inspires expression.Similarly, Genius Loci-Spirit of Place, emanates from its opening gesture. "Place" here is in the intervallic pitch-relationship of D&flat--C--B&flat, the music's distinctive register, its bell-like character, as well as the repeated octave that creates an open harmonic sound world full of possibilities. What follows grows organically out of the spirit of that place and informs the remainder of the work. The opening gesture, for example, leads to the structural and registral climax of Genius Loci---Spirit of Place in measure 93. The descending pitches C-B-A (transposed from the opening), via a sequential progression toward the low register, initiate this climax in a slow build-up that starts in measure 76. This moment also coincides with a rhythmic and metric 'coming-together' of the beat. A return to the opening harmony, at the point of release of tension from the climax in measure 99, restores a sense of place. This homecoming is further emphasized by the return of the octave in its distinctive opening register. The spirit of place is the underlying current that flows throughout the entire composition.The spirit of place is in itself organic to music, a time-based art. It is the essence, the residue, of the opening that emanates throughout a composition as "place," or as a marker, for the composer and listener alike. In music of the classical period this sense of initial place is often referred to as home, as in the home key, and one of the period's preeminent formal designs is the journey away from that opening place and an eventual return home. |
