| Earthshaker is the English translation of the Inca name, Pachakuti, the first ruler of the great Inca civilization. Pachakuti built his vast empire into one of the most populous found anywhere in the world. The original conception of this work was to portray, abstractly, the conflict and transformation that took place as a result of the Spanish conquest of Peru.In the middle section, conflict is portrayed by the winds and strings as they begin to enter, not in congruence with the percussion, but with indifference. Stylistically, the aesthetical concerns are mostly textural. Woodwinds, brass, and strings serve various roles as they are grouped independently from one another and in combinations. As this middle section develops and the conflict increases, the percussion has a far less significant role, until it is almost completely engulfed by the winds and strings. After reaching a high-point, first rhythmically and then with harmonic density, the winds and strings begin to decrease in tension as long, sustained sonorities eventually reach soft dynamic markings, giving way to the percussion.It ends like the beginning with only percussion, affirming that although an entire civilization has changed forever, humanity, now in the larger context, continues.This composition is in an arch form with three distinct sections. It begins with only percussion, representing the perseverance of humanity, and in this pre-Columbian world, humanity does not reach beyond the shores of South America. The percussion consists almost entirely of metal instruments, giving a secondary, subtle meaning to the 'humanity" representation of the opening section. Spanish conquistadors were able to conquer the Inca empire, in large part because of their advanced metallurgy. The choice of metal percussion instruments reflects the dichotomy of pre-Columbian cultures and the foreboding clash with Spanish conquistadors. |
