Silicon Hymnal

Silicon Hymnal

I. Hypnotica
II. Phat reel
III. Air for three—
IV. Abide with me—
V. Finale

The Silicon Hymnal is a book of songs with a heart of electronica. Created for the uniquely gifted Time for Three, whose members can play (and sing) in any style, this triple concerto unfolds in progressively more expansive movements.

Hypnotica mixes meditative textures between soloists, orchestra, and electronica, drifting in and out of focus in a dreamlike manner. The ensuing Phat reel combines a heavy beat (‘phat’ in hip-hop parlance) with a reimagined fiddle ‘reel’ – a jaunty folk tune of Scottish origins – in a lopsided dance that swaps violin for mandolin. Air for three floats a double bass melody over airy violin textures and jazz harmonies.

The work takes a deep dive in Abide with me, an atmospheric recasting of the 19th Century hymn known for its plaintive calls for guidance amidst the darkness of “eventide.” At the most vulnerable moment in the movement, the soloists are called to sing the hymn itself.

All thematic elements return in the barnburner Finale, making boisterous cameos over an engine of perpetual motion. Analogue and digital figuration swirl together in an exuberant close.

Commissioned by Arizona MusicFest; Brevard Music Center; Louisville Orchestra; Nashville Symphony; San Francisco Symphony; Saratoga Performing Arts Center; Sioux City Symphony; Sun Valley Music Festival