My Vital Breath | mandolin orchestra by Frank A. Wallace

My Vital Breath is a prize-winner in the International Competition José Fernández Rojas 2013 which is sponsored by ConTrastes Rioja in Logroño Spain. “Obra premiada en el Concurso Internacional de Composición José Fernández Rojas 2013”. It was written for the New American Mandolin Ensemble (NAME) in June of 2013 and in memory of Benjamin Britten on the occasion of his 100th anniversary.

Two events inspired the work, firstly a commission from German guitarist Detlev Bork to write a work for Britten’s 100th. A Heavy Sleep was debuted by Detlev on November 9, 2013 in Heidleberg Germany. Shortly after I wrote the piece in April, my dear friend Mark Davis asked me to join his New American Mandolin Ensemble, with the stated purpose that it would be the first professional orchestra of it’s kind in America. It only seemed fitting to me to write a piece worthy of such a project. My Vital Breath was the result and in it I borrowed certain ideas from A Heavy Sleep – thus it’s title and dedication to Britten (as well as Mark and Beverly Davis). The titles are both from Dowland’s song Come Heavy Sleep which Britten used for his monumental masterpiece Nocturnal.

My intention for My Vital Breath was to write a piece with no limitations, one that a professional “orchestra” could shine on.  It’s relation to Britten is more important than I originally realized myself. I have often been told that my style is close to Britten – we both reveal a deep love for Renaissance music in our work. My favorite piece for guitar, or rather the piece I think is the greatest ever written for guitar, is the Nocturnal. It explores so many textures in inventive and intriguing ways.  I wanted to do the same.  I think as a composer I am more interested (right now) in texture and gesture than melody and harmony. So there are many duos, trios and dialogues between various parts.  Every instrument has crucial rolls to play throughout.  It is an orchestral concept where the various combos create colors that evolve, contrast, clash and create movement and emotion. Outburst is a psychological side of the piece – where not every phrase is necessarily related to the previous or next, but may be simply a moment of dis-connection – a thought that suddenly overwhelms the moment. Again, my love of Dowland and Britten’s Nocturnal color the whole piece and define the ending.  Britten ends his set of variations with the Dowland theme whereas I end My Vital Breath with a simple melody that finally emerges from the complexity, one that was derived from the name of Britten himself and is played in unison by the whole group.

Come heavy sleepe the image of true death;
And close up these my weary weeping eyes:
Whose spring of tears doth stop my vitall breath,
And tears my hart with sorrows sigh swoln cries:
Come and posses my tired thoughts worn soul,
That living dies, till thou on me be stoule.

Come shadow of my end, and shape of rest,
Allied to death, child to his blackfac’d night:
Come thou and charme these rebels in my breast,
Whose waking fancies doe my mind affright.
O come sweet sleepe; come, or I die for ever:
Come ere my last sleepe comes, or come never.