
Extreme beauty is found but the attempt to access it
through the body is denied. A sensuous, yet very lonely
state is depicted in this love letter. The main text
introduces a slow melody, set in counterpoint to music
from the composition Yours Forever. Extreme
Beauty is essentially a lament. A polyphonic setting,
rich with melodic suspensions, above a chromatic bass
line. In contrast to a typical Baroque lament, where
one would usually find a descending bass line, the bass
here in ascending (sunrise), which adds to the feeling
of tension, rather the resignation. "My dearest,"
which opens the piece, is reiterated continuously in
counterpoint to the main melody. About midway through
the piece the tension is relieved when the signature
phrase from Yours Forever appears together with
a stabilization of the harmony into a clear pattern.
The melodies of the first section are reintroduced,
accommodated within the new chord changes. The jarring
final statement "lick my shit" is a reminder
of the body.
The digital manipulations of the voice is subtle relative
to other pieces. Some pitch change is used in the short
vocal attacks that are continuously accompanying the
vocal phrases. Some vocal lines are extended beyond
the time interval possible by human breath. As in other
pieces, the voice of a single soprano is the only source
of sound.
Narrative passage:
"Love Letter 42/2
Sunset/Sunrise
My dearest,
I have found the key to extreme beauty but I dont
have the keyhole,
So I tried all the holes in my body but none seem
to fit.
Yours forever
Your sunset/sunrise forever yours
Yours forever yours
Confused and bewildered, lick my shit"
|