(reading session by the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra)
Program Notes
This piece is based on the Jewish and Islamic calls to prayer. The melodic material is derived from the ancient Jewish modes, and the text used, the Reader’s Kaddish, precedes the call to prayer in Jewish worship. Many of the structural elements of the piece are based on ratios derived from Islamic prayer customs. The goal of this piece is to explore the shared idea between Judaism and Islam—calling a group of people to worship in preparation to communicating with God. Perhaps in this way we can understand the similarities in both religion’s approach to worship and relationship with God.
Please contact the composer if you would like performance materials for this piece.
