Not All, Only A Few Return
John Turner
About this work:
This year, I was introduced to the poetic form, the ghazal. Although the ghazal was originally written in Persian and then Urdu, I came to know this beautiful form in English through the late poet Agha Shahid Ali. As I began to look into ghazals further, I realized that the ghazal is also a popular musical form in India and Pakistan. After reading the current ghazal, Not All, Only A Few Return, by Ali, I knew that these words set to music had the potential to be something truly fantastic.
The ghazal form lends itself easily to music. Because of its use of independent couplets, I approached the setting by treating each couplet as independently as possible while retaining a sense of the broader scope of the piece. Other than scoring the tabla and being inspired by recordings of popular ghazal artists like Iqbal Bano, I use a modal harmonization and melody and a generally western treatment of the voices and instruments. I see this piece as part traditional ghazal, part chorale, and part requiem.
My plan for this piece is to orchestrate it for full orchestra, but the current edition is for a smaller chamber ensemble where the harp, tabla, and individual fortzando-piano strings play a crucial role. The vocal part is treated as a modern, extended chorale with alto solo.
Year composed: 2003
Duration: 00:07:40
Ensemble type: Chorus, with or without Solo Voices:Chorus with Chamber Ensemble
Instrumentation: 2 Percussion (General), 4 Violin, 2 Viola, 2 Cello, 2 Double bass, 1 Harp, 1 S, 1 A,1 A soloist(s), 1 T, 1 B
Instrumentation notes: Percussion: chimes, tabla, suspended cymbal, tam-tam