Dum spiro... (2015)
For solo viola, written for Vijay Chalasani. In this piece, the audience is asked to sing along with the viola in single breaths, akin to Pauline Oliveros' Sonic Meditations.
For solo viola, written for Vijay Chalasani. In this piece, the audience is asked to sing along with the viola in single breaths, akin to Pauline Oliveros' Sonic Meditations.
Instrumentation: Solo Viola/Viola Duo and Singing Audience
Duration: 8-11 minutes.
Originally written for Vijay Chalasani and the Guerrilla Composers Guild
Dum spiro… comes from the common Latin phrase “Dum spiro spero” (While I breathe, I hope.) Attributed to the poet Theocritus, it is most famously associated with the Roman statesman Cicero. There are dozens of adaptations throughout history by artists and politicians, but my work is only concerned with the simple act of breathing, something that the works of Pauline Oliveros taught me as a young composer. This flexible piece was written to be performed in any of the following combinations: solo viola, two violas in canon, solo viola with audience participation, or two violas with audience participation.
(full description below)
- Nicolás Lell Benavides