Love’s Philosophy (2019) by Trevor Shaw

Описание: Inversion Ensemble I.
Inversion Ensemble
Trevor Shaw, Artistic Director
http://inversionensemble.com

Love’s Philosophy (2019) by Trevor Shaw

Percy Shelley’s 1819 poem has been a long-time favorite of mine. Its simple imagery shows that nature beautifully creates inherent togetherness. I sought to honor the poet’s simplicity of metaphor by keeping the length of my composition relatively brief, harmonically thick, but tonal, and its form uncomplicated (A-A-B-A). While Shelley's poem clearly leads us to embrace the logic of romantic love, it simultaneously serves as a reminder of the value of basic human connection, highlighted more than ever as I write this note during a global pandemic.

Text: Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?—

See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?

Trevor Shaw, Composer & Artistic Director
Trevor Shaw is an Austin, Texas-based musician who stumbled into the world of choral music by accident. While earning a degree in trombone performance from the University of North Texas, Trevor was approached to become the Music Minister for the United Methodist Campus Ministry. Accepting the position led to a lifetime career in church music and the urge for Trevor to compose and arrange for the various choirs he was
conducting. He has since led choirs throughout the U.S., the UK and Ireland. His choral and instrumental works have also been performed by many church choirs, professional ensembles and academic choirs across the U.S. Trevor is also very active as a private music instructor, a singer and instrumentalist, and maintains a widely-read music blog. He is co-owner of and principal arranger for the professional a cappella company, Tinsel. Trevor’s diverse musical influences include composers such as Herbert Howells, Richard Wagner, Arvo Pärt and Herbie Hancock.

Who is Inversion Ensemble?

Austin’s Inversion Ensemble is a choral collective made up of composers and singers formed to give voice to innovative choral works and to encourage the creation of new music, especially in the Austin area. A great deal of our repertoire is written especially for Inversion Ensemble by composers who sing within the ranks of the ensemble.
While many members of Inversion Ensemble perform, conduct, compose, study, and teach music full-time, the group also includes non-professional participants who are equally passionate about choral music and ensuring it thrives as a modern art form.