The Synthesis of Genesis: Reflection, Symmetry, and Narrative Structures in “Invocation”

THE SYNTHESIS OF GENESIS: REFLECTION, SYMMETRY, AND NARRATIVE STRUCTURES IN “INVOCATION” BRENDAN MCCONVILLE N THE WINTER OF 2007, I REMINISCED with composer James Romig at a Society of Composers meeting regarding our experiences studying composition with Charles Wuorinen. We agreed that our time with Wuorinen could best be described as “composition boot camp;” lessons were rigorous and focused, and if detailed explanations of our decisions and designs weren’t prepared, we knew a lesson wouldn’t last long. His students experienced a reflection of what he demands of himself: each work should synthesize a collection of carefully chosen, organized, and systematic decisions, such that the end result creates “. . . a universe of itself.”1 In fact, his compositional treatise, Simple Composition, is not necessarily a gathering of approaches for composing twelve-tone music; rather, it attempts to guide composers towards a disciplined and well-intentioned path to music creation. In an effort to look back on Wuorinen’s work, this article will explore the ways in which his 1989 cantata, Genesis, is emblematic of not only his personal stylistic tendencies, but perhaps also his pre-compositional approach to research, organization, and meaning through structure. I 170 Perspectives of New Music My analysis of the synthesis of Genesis will focus primarily on the first movement, “Invocation.” I will first engage two groups of supporting data to build the framework for this analysis. The first group illustrates several concepts that have influenced Wuorinen’s compositional voice in the past and are likewise present in “Invocation”; these include his use of rounded and symmetrical structures as well as his integration of religious themes. The second group collates a limited, but practical, foundation of literature on symmetrical literary structures found in the book of Genesis of the Bible. My study of “Invocation” will propose that several structural designs of the music mirror the textual literary symmetries espoused by this group. Through this coordinated discussion , my analysis suggests that the details of its methodically organized design provide reflections of Wuorinen’s compositional tendencies while telling a story that recalls the book of Genesis’s Biblical Hebrew narrative style, even though, as Michael Steinberg suggests, he may not have intended an overtly narrative work.2 Viewed broadly, this study of “Invocation” not only provides a window into Wuorinen’s workshop, but it perhaps reveals broader musical and spiritual messages that arise from his examination of liturgical texts, Gregorian chant, and JudeoChristian traditions. BACKGROUND INFLUENTIAL CONCEPTS PRESENT IN “INVOCATION” This study begins with the notion that Wuorinen has long believed in structural narratives, particularly those that start with an idea, digress, and return to a starting point. In his conversation with Frank J. Oteri in 2007, he explained: If you want self-description, I would say that the most fundamental connection I have with the musical past is a sound belief in narrative form, which I try to express, obviously, in different ways than anyone in the 19th century or any of the composers earlier would have done. But I have [sic], after thinking about this for a long time and writing a lot of music, remain convinced that this is the ground of our entire civilization. There are other parts of the world, other cultures—very great ones—that don’t necessarily operate that way; they may have a cyclical view of time, and so forth and so on, but everything in the West is a story of some sort or another, The Synthesis of Genesis 171 it seems to me. We assign a definite beginning to the universe—our literature, all of our artistic traditions, and of course our music, are all teleological, goal-directed, or directed in some way so that one returns to a starting point. I’ve never given that up.3 This structural approach, which will be shown in “Invocation” and overall in Genesis, has been described in a variety of scholarly writings on Wuorinen’s music over the years. These analytical readings of his work indeed resonate with Wuorinen’s comments on his connections to older music. Jeffrey Kreskey’s article on Wuorinen’s (then) recent music cites the String Trio (1967–68) as an example of this design: “a drone...