The Midi File

Preface

Cromlech

Cromlech (literally flat-crooked-stone) is a Welsh term for a Dolmen and consists of a number of stones arranged to enclose a space which may be circular, elliptical or even rectangular in shape. In France the word is also sometimes used for a stone circle.

Stone circles are mysterious objects and have been the subject of a great deal of conjecture. One of these theories, put forward in a recent book by Chris Barber and John Godfrey Williams, caught my attention in particular. The theory relies on evidence that many of the original Stone Circles that have been excavated have under them, or contain within them, granules of quartz. Quartz is now well known for its conductive properties and the piezoelectric effect, i.e. mechanical pressure on quartz produces a measurable voltage. This high level of quartz can be found in the famous Blue Stone Megaliths of Stonehenge and may have been the reason for transporting them across the country from the Preseli hills in Dyfed to their current location in Wiltshire. This knowledge is coupled with the fact that many of the monuments studied over a large area appear to be set at specific angles from each other and this angle happily coincides with the angle of rotation of the earth from the sun - 23.5 degrees. This number featured prominently in the composition of the work and can be roughly calculated by drawing a right-angled triangle with sides of 4 and 9 - numbers often associated with the Earth and the Sun respectively. These numbers feature prominently in the construction of all aspects of the work from the structure through to manipulation of the material and they clash most obviously in the Climax of the work.

The hypothesis is therefore that these monuments in some way were intended to channel the natural forces of Sun and Earth - a kind of Pagan National Grid. Cromlech is a depiction of an imaginary ceremony with the soloist as protagonist summoning the earth's forces to achieve a heightened spiritual state.

Instrumentation

2 Flute
Piccolo Flute (doubling Alto Flute)
2 Oboes
Cor Anglais (doubling Oboe 3)
2 Clarinets in Bb
Bass Clarinet (doubling Clarinet 3)
2 Bassoon
Contrabassoon
4 Horns in F
3 Trumpets in Bb
2 Tenor Trombone
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion (4 players)
glockenspiel, marimba, vibraphone, crotales (2 octave chromatic set)
3 tom toms (low to high), 3 roto toms (low to high), large suspended cymbal, bass drum, tenor drum, side drum, piccolo side drum, large tam tam.
Harp
Piano
Solo Bb Trumpet
16 Violin I
14 Violin II
12 Viola
10 Cello
8 Double Bass

Score notated in C except for usual octave transpositions.

Duration: c. 21 minutes