O, the unknown, I cry for thee

for Soprano and chamber ensemble

Instrumentation

Flute (doub. Alto Flute), Bb Clarinet, Percussion (2), Harp, Piano, Soprano Voice, Violin, Cello

Poem by

Grace Jang

Performance history

2025 MACE, New York [World premiere]
2026 Slee Sinfonietta, Buffalo

Duration

9 min

Program notes

This piece was written in response to a wonderful poem my friend Grace completed not too long ago. As soon as I read it, I was captivated by its mystical tone and by the contrast between that atmosphere and the poem’s precise descriptions of actions and emotions. Setting that poem would be equally exciting and challenging, and the music would come spontaneously as my own interpretation of the text became more thorough. The alternation between a refrain and longer stanzas provides a structure that supports the overall form of the piece. The poet’s careful placement of line breaks within long sentences creates an internal rhythm that strongly influences the musical setting.

The music is full of change and variation, built around a few melodic ideas that, through repetition and transformation, bind the piece together. The chamber-ensemble format resonates with the poem’s intimate mood, and the instruments’ natural timbres remain crystalline and recognizable. In a way, I think of the instrumental timbres as a spectrum of emotions that are triggered by the poet's thoughts as a reaction to the singer’s words. For instance, the piano stays completely silent during the first agitated presentation of the refrain, entering warmly only after the poet’s mood begins to calm. Soon after, the fast, high-pitched gestures shared by the harp, flute, crotales, and upper piano register arise alongside words of hope and excitement. In the second half of the piece, the ensemble takes on a more confident character, with firmer voice-leading, tonal harmonies, and a stronger presence in the low register, mirroring the poet’s growing sense of maturity. The closing lines remain as unclear and incomplete in the music as the speaker’s thoughts seem to be. Not having reached a definitive conclusion after this long reflection, the poet will likely circle back to the same uncertain feelings for eternity.

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