Raga

DEDICATED

to the Magowan Family

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​FIRST PERFORMANCE

July 2006 in Korčula Croatia

ENSEMBLE

Clarinet and Piano

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DURATION

7 minutes

PROGRAM NOTE

Ragas are precise melody forms where improvisational melody solely determines the movements and transitions in a piece. Similarly, this piece does use melody lines initiated by the clarinet and mirrored by the piano to sculpt the direction of the music, but unlike traditional ragas, traditional free improvisation is not used.

I did not intend to write a true raga, although when listening to them, I wished to replicate the never-ending spiritual quality I experienced when listening to Indian classical music recordings. The piano acts as the tambura, the drone instrument in the background, and the piece features the clarinetist, highlighting subtle turns and stresses on particular notes.