As we get ready for our Dec. 10 concert, we’re featuring essays by each composer about their new piece which will be debuted at the concert. This will hopefully introduce you to both the composers and the works and give some perspective on the compositional process as well.
Kyle Williams is a guitarist and composer in town who has been involved with the PJCE since its inception. He has written us many great pieces (you can hear one of his earlier ones, “The Meadow,” at our audio page) and played guitar on many of our concerts. This time he’s written a piece called “The Island.” Here’s what he has to say:
The Island
The melodies of this song were stolen from two different songs that I wrote a few years ago. In a sense, I broke up two songs and made one out of their parts. The assembled song then sat around for a while waiting for me to figure out what to do with it and it wasn’t until I wrote lyrics that the song started to have a clear direction. I’m not saying that songwriters should always go out and describe a morning sunrise in song; in my case I added meaning to the notes after the fact. I’m just saying that the story I wrote about gave me inspiration as to how the song should sound as a whole. I wanted to describe an area of land and how it feels about the people who occupy it. I was thinking mostly about Manhattan as a sentient being, about the rising of the sea level, and about how someday the island will be under water. Anyway, a slow swing played by a big band feels quite appropriate.
More pre-concert essays coming after Thanksgiving. Meanwhile you can get tickets for the Dec. 10 concert here! Hope to see you there.