Program Note

They Sang But Had Nor Human Tunes Nor Words
takes its title from the end of the poem “Cuchulain Comforted” by W.B. Yeats:
They sang, but had nor human tunes nor words Though all was done in common as before; They had changed their throats and had the
throats of birds.
Another passage of the poem was suggestive:
‘We thread the needles’ eyes, and all we do All must together do’….
The microtonal 19-note to the octave scale seized my imagination with its greatly expanded range of both consonance and dissonance over the common 12-note to the octave scale.
They Sang But Had Nor Human Tunes Nor Words
was written for Brightwork newmusic, and was largely composed during a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. I am very grateful to VCCA for the gift of time and space.