Meditation is an exploration of form and aesthetic in relation to catharsis. Instead of focusing on a specific form or style, Meditation adopts an organic form which is designed to produce a strong Catharsis. The piece leads the listener through a series of emotions ranging from absolute terror to total elation. To design this piece, I analyzed pieces that give me a strong catharsis. These included Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Krzysztof Penderecki’s Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, as well as albums by Radiohead, Cynic, Porcupine Tree, and Opeth. I studied these artists and developed the form that I use in Meditation. From studying these pieces, I also found that certain techniques can be used to bring out the emotion in a piece. Some techniques I employ include using the upper and lower extremes of the instruments, extremely fast passages, extremely slow passages, extended playing techniques, and unusual scales and tone clusters. Meditation is scored for piano, violin, viola, and cello, and it is approximately 18 minutes in length. It is possible to shorten the piece to around 12 minutes if need be, but for the full effect, it should be played in its entirety.

Meditation: Suite for Piano Quartet