Prelude for Holy Trinity Sunday

by Christopher Talley

Download: Prelude_for_Holy_Trinity_Sunday_sample.mp3

Description
. In Prelude for Holy Trinity Sunday, guitar 1 takes the role of Holy Spirit, carrying most of the ephemeral techniques like harmonics and arpeggiated color chords which seem to me to give the impression of wind or spirit. It generally ride atop the arrangement in range and has the melody in the fourth sketch, O Spirit of the Living God. Guitar 2 was given the role of Son, is the more difficult of the three parts and general is sandwiched between guitar 1 and 3 in range. This part takes the melody in the sketch, Of the Father’s Love Begotten and its part there is unique in two significant ways. First, this portion could stand alone as a guitar solo where as all other material in the composition is quite interdependent. Second, at measures 77 and 78 guitar two is completely exposed and alone – there is no other significant portion of this composition where two or more parts are not involved. Guitar 3 serves in the role of Father and provides the bass foundation of the composition. Even when it carries the melody in Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, it stays down in the lower range of the instrument where the sound is woody and strong. The sketch, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise serves as an introduction and is intended to signify the immanent Trinity. No particular part is given prominence – each part takes a turn carrying the melody in a dance like rhythm. The selection of hymn tunes as the melodic starting point in composing helps in two ways. It provides something which the listener (assuming they are somewhat literate in Protestant hymnody) can contemplate as they seek to worship the Holy Trinity. Secondly, as the composer I prefer to build a composition around a melody or melodies and the technique of quotation allowed me to employ tunes which had there own history and associations for me in my relationship to the Trinity and the church.

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