“If you want to know what someone values, look at their calendar.”
-Nevine Michaan
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“Where there is death, there is a spark.
Where there is a spark, there is a beginning.
Where there is a beginning, there is a lack.
Where there is a lack, there is despair.
Where there is despair, there is ritual.
Where there is ritual, there is a gathering.
Where there is gathering, there is momentum.
Where there is momentum, there is energy.
Where there is energy, there is hope.
Where there is hope, there is light…”
-Alex Brazinski
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I started taking violin lessons when I was 5. I identified with the instrument quickly. My parents had identities as musicians and my teacher said I had to do it everyday. This was the most important rule. There were other parameters - additional areas of focus: pitch, rhythm, bodily position. Guidelines such as which: scales to practice, exercises to drill and works (songs/pieces) to interpret. The foundation was in doing it everyday. In the beginning, 5mins a day was more valuable than 35 minutes in the week. By the age of 15 I practiced individually 1 hour a day and played in numerous groups 7+ hours a week; I listened to music triple this amount. Music became my religion. My 20’s brought other subjects of daily worship: meditation, movement, religious ceremony had all joined my violin practice - which itself was now venturing into less familiar territory. The next decade and a half developed a preference toward more recent focuses, but time held a thread of all these subjects in my identity. Today my daily practices are understood as rituals, rites conducted in service of my personal religion. This can be a joyous experience, and at other times - one senses unanswered prayers and may question their faith. A test may be assumed and the practice evolves, or the faith is abandoned.
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When Alex Brazinski (dancer, acupuncturist, movement professional) first brought the idea of collaborating on a work defined by ritual, the image seemed clear in my mind. The greater work “Where There is Hope, There is Light…” has expanded and evolved as we engaged in the ritual required to bring a piece into existence and the compromises required by collaboration. The original blueprint for the first two movements of the musical work (Partita in 4 Movements: Action; Ritual; Sacrament; Transcendence) was inspired by “The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram” (LBRP): a ritual from various schools of esoteric spirituality. The LBRP intends to create a sacred space, a circle, cleared of all earthly influence. The first two acts of “Where There is Hope, There is Light…” are scored with this motif. The opening drone evokes the lighting of candles and incense; The pizzicato (plucking) involves the drawing of the pentagram. The melodic harmonies invoke guardians of the space. The slides represent energy being pulled within the center of the space. The third movement, seeks to accompany the more exuberant acts of ceremony where one might be taken over by the spirit of the energy invoked. Notes evocative of the Dies Irae (the trumpet calls of heaven) are used to create a mood of rapture as momentum and energy are built to an apex. The 4th movement allows energy to expel from the space out into the material. The final melody, accompanied by sliding harmonics, evokes a hope of success. The light and the spark, a new beginning. The minor 3rd is resolved into a Major 3rd, representing the resolution from conflict between one’s previous felt sense and a new desire moved by the intentionality of ritual.
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“Where There is Hope, There is Light…” as a whole speaks to my own process of engaging with ritual through the disciplines expressed. I have written very few musical works in nearly 4 decades of daily practice. I’ve contributed to a couple dozen songs and personally constructed much less. It is still a novel process, though not completely unfamiliar. Alex Brazinski has been a joy to create with and a professional deserving of praise. His dance exhibits an artistry in ways my own movement practice has failed to ritualize though it continues to inspire my own personal growth. The process of working on “Where There is Hope, There is Light…” has felt simultaneously collaborative and personally liberating. In Yoga, Karma might be understood as doing the work in the world. While much spiritual practice happens in secret, in the practice of Karma Yoga one is understood as acting. Practices that involve performance exist on the border between worlds - the esoteric presented as evident manifestation ready to be perceived by an audience. I find “Where There is Hope, There is Light…” to show a portrait about what is often unseen. The process into the light exists in the shadows until it finds a portal out of the darkness. I hope you will join us for the premier in September 2024 and enjoy what we have constructed.
“Where There is Hope, There is Light…”
September 5th (5pm) and 15th (8pm)
@Christ Church (20 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19106)
as part of the 2024 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.