Kirvani (The Drowning of Time)
Michael Robinson
About this work:
Tendrils (Nand Kedar, Kirvani, Madhu Kauns, Chandra Kauns), my fourth CD, is based entirely on Indian ragas. Composition began after almost one year of private study with Harihar Rao, Ravi Shankar's senior disciple. The influence of Indian classical music is also pervasive on my previous CD, Hamoa, but the present CD contains four pieces which actually use the raga form.
The Drowning of Time was inspired by another great sarangi artist, Sultan Khan. However, it was actually his singing of an Indian folk song which led me to select Kirvani as the basis for composition. The plaintive, raw timbre of an African harp was ultimately selected to be the melodic voice. This stark, spare voice is contrasted by deep, resonant percussion timbres from India, the Near East and Japan, plus tanpura.
- Michael Robinson, December 1999, Lahaina
© 1999 by Michael Robinson All rights reserved
Year composed: 1995
Duration: 00:12:04
Ensemble type: Electronic Instruments and Sound Sources:Live Electronic Sound Sources
Instrumentation: ,1 Computer/Laptop soloist(s), ,1 Sampler (Keyboard/Other) soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: A computer and sound module are programmed to perform the fully notated composition in real time. The Drowning of Time (Kirvani) is voiced with samples of the following acoustical timbres using Indian tunings: kora, Indian, Near Eastern & Japanese percussion and tanpura.