A Dorian Afternoon (mp3 here) is the name I’ve given to the solo piano original I’ve been working on over the last couple of weeks. As the name suggests, I’ve composed this rather short piece in the D Dorian mode. The Dorian mode, I feel, exudes a charm that is sedate and dignified in a very stately (even stoic) sort of way. This mode is a personal favorite because of the strong similarities it carries, in terms of musical phrases, to the elegant afternoon raga, Bhimpalasi, in the Indian Classical Music tradition. From a purely structural point of view, Bhimpalasi is Pentatonic Minor going up and Dorian mode coming down. Of course, it is much more complex than that when it comes to the articulation and exposition of its unique character.
Coming back to this particular piece, I’ve attempted to write it as a two section mix of musical phrases. The first section plays both the treble and bass clefs in the higher registers, which combined with its mildly rubato tempo makes it sound somewhat stark, and is evocative of a cold and rainy (even snowy, perhaps?) afternoon! The mildly gloomy air is then broken with the arrival of the second section which brings with it a warmth of expression (probably because it is played in the lower registers) that seems comparable to the sun fortuitously piercing the afternoon gloom, thereby mitigating it!
That is how the piece ends, somewhat sooner than I’d have liked, in hindsight. My creative inspiration permitting, I might expand upon some of the ideas later!
A few repeated listenings (mp3 here) would hopefully allow the Dorian charm to grow on the listener and sedate her!
I apologize for the less than good recording quality, which I think is a combination of my old rental Hudson piano and my own lack of recording expertise! I’m also terribly slow when it comes to actually writing down my music. I’ll try to post the music sheet for this one as soon as possible!
Posted by srinivasv 