Stone Fragments Book II - Tillytarmont (2020)
Piano
This set of five miniatures for solo piano (written in early March 2020) is a continuation of a project I began in late 2016 to interpret Pictish symbols in the Scottish North East (my local area). While the first book takes inspiration from symbols found in the village of Rhynie, this second book deals with symbols on stones found at Tillytarmont, near Huntly.
Like the previous set, the harmonic language of the Tillytarmont fragments is mostly chromatic, basing itself on a five-note harmonic set identifiable in the Rhynie fragments: F, Ab, Bb, D, E.
Similarly, I also decided to select a new balanced combination of animals and abstract symbols, interspersing between these types, and exploiting the curious meanings attributed to them on musical terms, as shown below.
1. The Eagle
According to some, the Eagle is the symbol of Pictish chieftainship. It also represents truth and justice, and so to open this set, I decided to create a piece of almost regal character, with broadly loud and clear statements, balanced contrapuntally between clefs.
2. The Mirror & Comb
These two symbols have been frequently interpreted together to symbolise elite women. In contrast to the previous movement, this piece is quieter and sparser in material. I have also musically represented both objects by reflecting melodic lines in inverted response for the mirror, whilst the comb acts as a refrain, marked out as a serrated motif played between hands.
3. The Goose
The Goose is the scherzo of this set. Representing vigilance, ferocity and protection, it constantly switches wildly between a hammered ‘honking’ motif (‘vigilance’) and runs in irregular rhythms (‘ferocity’). The middle section employs ‘protection’ by moving into a gentler, equalised mood.
4. The Disc & Rectangle
To some, the Disc and Rectangle suggest a burial cairn, as well as a kind of wheel, and so I decided to interpret this as a deathly slow, grinding cortege low down on the piano. There is a constantly moving two-note ostinato in the bass, with brief choral phrases in higher registers.
5. The Snake
The Snake is a particularly important symbol to the Picts, as it appears on many stones. It has also been suggested to represent wisdom, healing, renewal and immortality, and thus brings this set to a warm and glorious conclusion. In the case of this snake, it is also intertwined with a Z-Rod, a symbol which has previously been featured alone in the Rhynie fragments, representing the sun. To highlight this, the piece makes use of a hymnal melody that is echoed in rotating canon every third quaver, building to a radiant climax. The snake is also aurally interpreted as occasional trills in different registers that occur in between phrases.