Illuminations

This work is inspired from very old Syriac melodies. Simple and austere, these millennia songs have been transmitted orally. Sung traditionally (and ritually) a cappella, they are sometimes accompanied by percussion instruments: the naqus (bell), the marwaha (large metal disk with small metal pieces on its periphery, attached to a long neck that ‘it moves slowly) and small and large cymbals. Often based on microtonal scales, Syriac singing is monophonic, supported by a note of drone, called ison, added to the melody to accentuate the tone. The composition is here subtle, attentive, it brings a discreet lighting, envelope, develops (ison), becomes multiple as a heterophonic and rhythmic internal echo. Surges of the depths of time, the ornaments are revealed through a slight rustle, a holding of the choir. An art of silence.

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