Gandharam, lullaby for Max Mathews

Palmer (nee Reiser), Michaela

Abstract

The flute begins its expose in raga Anadabhairavi, an ancient raga said to have originated from the South Indian folk music tradition; still present today in wedding songs, lullabies and other compositions. The raga is said to evoke compassion with its blissful and ethereal characteristics. Some musical key features of this raga are the stress of the swara (note) gandharam, the prevalence of some swaras throughout the piece as well as certain swara combinations in the ascending melody line. The piece, and the earlier flute parts in particular, follow the traditional compositional guidelines of Anadabhairavi, however as the piece progresses this dissolves. The piece is somewhat tonal in nature, however this is a necessity as flute and electronics communicate with each other through the key swaras of Anadabhairavi. Often the electronics use a long-held flute note to start new material or a flute phrase emerges from the material the electronics play. In that way the characteristics of Anandabhairavi can be maintained in essence rather than in form.

Citation

Palmer (nee Reiser), M. Gandharam, lullaby for Max Mathews

• Other Type: Composition
• Keywords: flute, electroacoustic composition, raga
• Additional Information: Additional Information : to be premiered at the 41st International Computer Music Conference 2015, 25 September - 1 October 2015, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA