The Nature of a Circle: The Cycle of Lewis and Clark
Michael Wittgraf
About this work:
A circle represents cycles and cyclic activity. Lewis and Clark, acting on behalf of Thomas Jefferson, completed a cycle during the course of their epic journey as part of the Corps of Discovery from 1803-1806. Miraculously, they and all but one of their party returned safely. However, they did not return unchanged. The journey profoundly affected their lives. For William Clark the change was positive, but for Merriwether Lewis, the change was tragic.
The Nature of a Circle is about cycles and the inherent changes that accompany them. Cycles permeate the universe, and with each comes change. Our lives are a cycle; our bodies begin and end in the same lifeless state, but we are changed through the processes of learning and growing. The cycle of the year and seasons, which forced the Lewis and Clark to spend the winter of 1804 in what is now North Dakota, helped the expedition forge a special relationship with the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, and Shoshoni. For many who lived along the route, the travelers arrived as strangers and left as friends, a cycle that, had it not been repeated numerous times, would have insured disaster for the expedition.
Musical circles and transformations fillThe Nature of a Circle. It opens with quotes from music that likely would have been familiar to Lewis and Clark: Corelli’s La Follia and the traditional Irish tune “Gobby-O”, which was used as the setting for a victory song praising Thomas Jefferson’s victory in the presidential election of 1800. These themes are transformed during the course of the music, changing into an imitation of traditional plains music of today. Other material also returns in cyclic fashion. Cyclic qualities also permeate many of the music’s chord successions.
The piece contains three main sections. The first (after the introduction) is fast and fleeting in character, and is loosely representative of the vast distances and expansive landscape that the expedition covered. The middle section is slow and melodic, though not lyrical. It loosely represents the land itself, as if it were speaking in a continuous narrative about its own history and experiences. The third section is related to the first, but also combines elements of the introduction to transform the music into an imitation of traditional plains music.
Year composed: 2003
Duration: 00:13:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:String Quartet
Instrumentation: 2 Violin, 1 Viola, 1 Cello