“Mars in Retrograde” is a 3-part vocalise for SSA and piano based on planetary motion and gravitational orbits. Composer Amy Gordon employs talea (a repeating rhythmic pattern) and color (a repeating pitch pattern) unique to each voice part as they represent the planets Venus, Earth and Mars orbiting the sun, represented by the piano. A spacious, spiraling work perfect for incorporating agility and explorations of overtones and vowel shapes for singers.

Amy Gordon is an active composer, arranger, songwriter, and vocalist based in Los Angeles, CA. As a choral composer, she has worked with and been commissioned by numerous choirs, including being the composer-in-residence for Nova Vocal Ensemble. She has also scored numerous films and webcasts. She has a BA in Composition from Loyola Marymount University and an MM in Composition from California State University, Long Beach.

Composer’s Notes

“Mars in Retrograde,” commissioned by Kat Anderson and dedicated to The Los Angeles Belles, is a 3-part vocalise for SSA and piano based on planetary motion and gravitational orbits. The voices represent the orbits of the planets (S1 as Venus, S2 as Earth, and Alto as Mars) around the sun, which is represented by the Piano. Each planet (voice) has a distinct repeating rhythmic pattern whose length corresponds to each planet’s sidereal period (how long it takes the planet to fully orbit around the sun). The repeating rhythmic pattern uses the musical technique of isorhythm, where a repeating rhythmic pattern (called the talea) is combined with separate pitch material (called the color). Venus’s sidereal period is roughly .616 Earth years, corresponding to a 7.5 measure talea. Earth’s sidereal period is 1 Earth year, corresponding to a 12 measure talea (based on the 12 months in a year). Mars’ sidereal period is roughly 1.9 Earth years, corresponding to a 22.75 measure talea. Venus’, Earth’s, and Mars’ taleas are shown below. The rhythmic activity increases until the mid-point of each talea, after which the rhythmic value decreases again. This represents how planets increase in speed as they approach their closest point to the sun (perihelion) and decrease in speed as they approach the farthest point from the sun (aphelion). The end of each talea is marked by planetary graphics in the score. The talea of each of the planets is below.

The entire piece is tuned to the fundamental of Bb, as the lowest recorded note in the universe is a black hole that vibrates at a Bb 57 octaves below Middle C. The piece exclusively uses the Bb Lydian Dominant scale, also referred to as the acoustic scale, which can be created by assembling the first 12 partials of the overtone series based on the fundamental of Bb.

-Amy Gordon

Text

The piece uses simple vowels such as oohs and ahs, but vocalists are free to experiment with different vowels and overtones as the parts increase and decrease in rhythmic speed.

-Amy Gordon

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