Penta

Penta, meaning 5, is a piece that draws inspiration from melodic and rhythmic techniques found in Indian classical music and blues, as well as the form of Ravel’s Bolero, with its cyclical development over time. The piece has three different multi-phrase melodies, each repeating with a rotating combination of orchestral accompaniment. As the accompaniment changes, different aspects of the melodies are highlighted by shifting the emphasis of the rhythm and changing the colors of the harmonies. From Indian classical music, Penta uses the rhythmic forms tihai and a chakradhar tihai from measures 133-174. The entire piece is based on a cycle of 5 beats. Although Penta can sound quite emotional at times, there is no specific programmatic inspiration at the foundation of its creation, other than bringing these different musical traditions together. However, I encourage listeners and performers to create their own programmatic interpretations of the music in a way that is personally meaningful.