Images of Remembered Earth

Images of Remembered Earth is a musical composition scored for full orchestra. The composition was inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's painting, Light Coming on the Plains I (1917), which depicts a sunrise over a flat and empty landscape. In the painting, the expanse of the sun's rays is expressed through an even-blended transformation of color from goldish-blue at the light's source to progressively darker shades of blue near the edges of the canvas. The progression of color is interrupted by thin gold bands which sectionalize the sunrise into seven concentric arches. The construction of the musical composition derives musical materials directly from elements found within O'Keeffe's painting, specifically the shaping of structure, expansion, and color in arch patterns. Arch patterns, an integral element in O'Keeffe's painting, govern elements in the musical composition, including pitch selection, the overall tempo scheme, rhythmic activity, and formal shape. Pitch materials are expansive by design; this expansive quality is exhibited through the employment of wedge-shaped musical ideas and through the utilization of higher and lower registers. O'Keeffe's use of color in the painting influenced the orchestration of the music and is manifested in two ways: 1) gradual transformation of timbral colors and 2) the juxtaposition of contrasting instrumental groupings.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2000

Author dc:creator

• Floyd, James Michael

Contributors dc:contributor

• Clark, Thomas
• Dworak, Paul E., 1951-
• McTee, Cindy, 1953-

• Orchestral music -- Scores.
• O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986 -- Songs and music.
• pitch selection
• full orchestra
• arch patterns
• orchestration

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Floyd, James Michael
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 47249046
untcat: b2302355
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2534/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc2534

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc2534