Declaration
John de Clef Piñeiro
About this work:
Composed in 1999, Declaration is a humanitarian statement dedicated to the victims of genocide and other crimes against humanity in Kosovo and nearby regions by ultra-nationalist Serb and paramilitary forces near the end of the 20th Century.
The work takes its title from the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which embodies in print a commonly shared vision of community and respect for the dignity of the person. Without such a vision, we are blind and lost in a darkness of our own making. My work supports the hope that the expectation of the Declaration's Preamble (see below) will be realized and endure in domestic and international human affairs. Perhaps, in time, the defiance and defensiveness implicit in the insularity of nationalism will become an obsolete barrier to fulfillment of that expectation.
At the beginning of a new millennium, we begin our collective evolution encumbered by what has gone before. But with the development of unifying technologies and the globalization of economies the world over, we also begin with a greater potential and promise than has ever existed before. Each of us should do what we can to make good on that promise.
Structurally, this orchestral work tracks exactly the text of the Declaration’s Preamble. To make this clear to the listener, each line or phrase of the Preamble (reproduced below) shows in brackets the corresponding sequential length of time represented in the music.
[0:00 - 0:59] We, the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations
[1:00 - 1:43] from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,
[1:44 - 2:03] and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person,
[2:04 - 2:46] in the equal rights of men and women
[2:47 - 3:07] of all nations large and small,
[3:08 - 3:35] and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom
[3:36 - 3:57] have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims.
Year composed: 1999
Duration: 00:03:57
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Unknown
Instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 2 Flute, 1 Oboe, 2 Clarinet, 1 Bass Clarinet, 1 Bassoon, 4 Horn in F, 4 Trumpet, 2 Trombone, 1 Tuba, 1 Timpani, 4 Percussion (General), 1 Xylophone, 1 Piano, 16 Violin, 8 Viola, 8 Cello, 3 Double bass, 1 Harp
Instrumentation notes: The number of strings may be fewer than indicated above.