Bharata's Music Box
Commissioned by Vicki Ray for Piano Spheres
Scored for Piano Solo
Completed in 2011
Duration: 16 minutes
Premiered on November 15, 2-11 in Los Angeles, California
Vicki Ray, piano
Scored for Piano Solo
Completed in 2011
Duration: 16 minutes
Premiered on November 15, 2-11 in Los Angeles, California
Vicki Ray, piano
Program Note
Bharata Muni was an ancient Indian sage and musicologist whose theoretical treatise the Natya Shastra codified the early roots of classical Indian dance and music. Authored between 200 BC and 200 AD, the Natya Shastra was considered the defining treatise of Indian classical music until the 13th century, establishing principles of consonance and modality that remain cornerstones of Indian classical music to this day.
Bharata's Music Box is an exploration of key principals from the Natya Shastra, refracted through the lens of the 20th century and crossed with the Western art music tradition. The piece is essentially a theme and variations loosely set against the structure of a traditional Indian classical raga performance, growing from its slow, free introductory section to its increasingly propulsive and rhythmic melodic body.
Bharata's Music Box whimsically ponders the question: if this Indian sage were alive today with a modern understanding of musical history, what would he compose if he were able to build a music box from a grand piano?
Bharata Muni was an ancient Indian sage and musicologist whose theoretical treatise the Natya Shastra codified the early roots of classical Indian dance and music. Authored between 200 BC and 200 AD, the Natya Shastra was considered the defining treatise of Indian classical music until the 13th century, establishing principles of consonance and modality that remain cornerstones of Indian classical music to this day.
Bharata's Music Box is an exploration of key principals from the Natya Shastra, refracted through the lens of the 20th century and crossed with the Western art music tradition. The piece is essentially a theme and variations loosely set against the structure of a traditional Indian classical raga performance, growing from its slow, free introductory section to its increasingly propulsive and rhythmic melodic body.
Bharata's Music Box whimsically ponders the question: if this Indian sage were alive today with a modern understanding of musical history, what would he compose if he were able to build a music box from a grand piano?