The Essence of Gravity - IV. Machines by Robert Paterson Composer published on 2013-06-12T21:06:27Z The Essence of Gravity - for Mixed SATB Choir Duration: 18’ Commissioned by Robert Geary and the Volti choir of San Francisco Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=902 PROGRAM NOTE In The Essence of Gravity, I use a few key words, phrases and phonetic sounds rather than an elaborate text. Since there are so few words, I designed the text myself, and it is made up almost entirely of onomatopoeia words. The word ‘gravity’ in the title not only refers to the force of attraction by which objects tend to fall toward the center of the Earth, but also to a sense of seriousness. Each movement reflects one or both of these definitions. The first movement, Echoes of War, contains words and phrases that make me think of war. A type of weapon called a “gravity bomb” also inspired me. This weapon is delivered by aircraft and does not contain a guidance system; it follows a ballistic trajectory. Until the later half of World War II this described all aircraft bombs, and the vast majority until the late 1980s. The second movement is entitled Love and Kisses. Although love is an undeniably heavy subject, this movement is intended to be much more playful than serious. Perhaps it is more about the emotional pull that people have on each other. Before I composed the third movement, Infinite Oceans, I walked along San Francisco’s Baker Beach and Lands End. Although I’ve been to the ocean many times, I am always struck by the seemingly infinite-sounding tides and lonely-sounding foghorns I often hear in the distance. This movement is inspired by the gravitational pull of the moon, the primary force responsible for the ocean’s tides. This movement also alludes to the stories of the mythological Greek Sirens that lured sailors to their deaths with their beautiful singing. Although many people might not think of machines as evoking a sense of gravity, they seem important in ways that may not be readily apparent. Without machines such as the Space Shuttle, we would not be able to explore outer space. For better or worse, they are integral to our modern way of life. In this sense, the fourth movement, Machines, pays homage to the machines that enrich our lives by allowing us to defy gravity. Genre Classical Comment by ernestflex omg this is so good the song is great i love it. 2021-07-21T22:50:19Z Comment by larya Kooky, quirky, but for unknown reasons I like it. Couldn't help but laugh. 2021-07-21T17:35:47Z Comment by LEE † PUFF∃TT mixed so well very clever 2021-07-20T19:15:45Z Comment by Ladat The usage of chorus is awesome. To make such topic I would be rather thinking about kind of electronic/ambient music, but you cover it so well. 2021-07-20T08:52:32Z Comment by Dika Chartoff I love how you transformed human voices into percussive instruments, as well as contrasted them with beautiful sustained harmonies. 2021-07-20T04:35:08Z Comment by Zentric Egg Beautiful sound. Haunting and innovative. 2021-02-24T22:03:24Z Comment by Sahandraz Feels like Standing down a Waterfall, tiny drops of water, gently touching your face, fading away. Love it when It seems Like every once in a while a new Wave Comes. 2021-02-24T09:50:39Z Comment by D.R.P Love it! I can brush my teeth to this fr fr 2021-02-24T03:53:49Z Comment by 6Greytails Well processed vocal clips and mixing 2021-02-23T19:13:37Z Comment by Adam Richard Tucker Composer So quirky! Very interesting use of the human voice. My favourite part is the zeroes and ones section. 2021-02-23T11:45:07Z Comment by Artem Amirkhanyan The voice is one of the best musical instruments. I like it very much! Wonderful voices! 2021-02-23T09:09:11Z Comment by Karl with a K Love the use of those vocal sound effects! Very interesting. 2021-02-23T07:59:30Z Comment by 4eval.treyy This is diffrent to me but in a good way 2021-02-23T04:14:21Z Comment by Sabine Alexander What a beautiful combination of music and voies. I can definitely notice your style of excellence. Awesome job Robert as usual!!! 2021-02-23T00:02:58Z Comment by Nightpost love the 'theatre' approach in all your work, visualising with the ways of using vocal sound, exquisite! 2021-02-22T19:27:11Z Comment by Nicholas Bennett Keep it up great! 0 and 1's lol, nice lyrics! 2021-02-22T19:18:15Z Comment by TGSS/Langsämmer /Jünger/ Laxá/The Dark Messiahs Like the idea of two sets of voices and lyrics about binary. On some Harmon Karden speakers today. This sounds great! 2021-02-22T16:04:03Z