Page 19 - V. Motta: 2020/21 Creative Portfolio

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Storm Prelude is a
piece which aims to reflect
this destructive nature of
thunderstorms. In order to
achieve that, I incorporated
the destructiveness on my
writing process, by explor-
ing violent, thunderous and
resonant sounds that a harp
can create. Considering my
previous experience with
Cyclone alongside Thunderstorms on the
South Region of Brazil Drifting Away, I changed my
approach whilst writing. By
working with stopwatches
and aleatoric elements, I was
able to explore different and
unconventional sonorities on
the harp whilst creating a
destructive thunderstorm at-
mosphere. Most importantly,
the use of stopwatches and
time stamps eliminated the
need of a conductor as well
Thunderstorms around various regions of as resulted in a more concise
Brazil performance. Thus, the piece
NOTE worked well when work-
Aleatoric boxes were shopped.
used throughout, as this
would be the best way of
conveying such extreme so-
norities, opposed to stand-
ard notation. In addition, by
introducing these boxes, the
performance of the piece is
facilitated, as each harp can
become more independent To convey rainy sounds,
from each other, which in I asked the harpists to tap
my opinion was the best ap- their fingers on their instru-
proach, as on Drifting Away, ments, resulting in a sound of
a piece which was meant to rain. One more layer of rain is
sound very connected, has added by introducing harps
ended up sounding discon- playing a bisbigliando on a
nected, as the harps sounded string which is muffled with
more independent from each a piece of cloth. Lightning
other. Thus, I exploited this strikes are being conveyed as
feature and made sure that aggressive and quick arpeg-
although the harps would gios. Thunderous sounds are
work independently, their achieved by violently playing
sounds would be unique and lower strings as well as by in-
add to the overall texture. troducing pedal buzz.