BOOK OF SPELLS

  • for brass quintet (2tpt.hn.tbn.tba)

  • completed 2023

  • duration ca. 15 minutes

PROGRAM NOTE

As a composer, it's not every day that one gets to take inspiration from sources as rich and unique as historical grimoires and spell books. My interest in these texts emerged from the dark days of the pandemic, wishing I could tap into the magic of the past. Book of Spells is a fifteen-minute brass quintet inspired by the syllabic and phoneme arrangements found within such grimoires as The Magus by Francis Barrett, and the anonymous Black Pullet, The Lesser Key of Solomon, and the Icelandic Galdrabók. The mysticism and rhythm inherent in these ancient works provide an intriguing palette for the composition, guiding the structure of this six-movement suite.

I. Invocation employs a ghostly half-valve technique and air sounds to produce an atmospheric beginning that seamlessly continues into the subsequent movement.

II. Prosperity offers an upbeat and rhythmically active exploration of the sonic representation of good fortune. Its lively energy provides a stark contrast to the ethereal quality of the preceding movement.

III. Protection, with its use of pitched air blown through the trumpets and a chorale, engenders a sense of safety and harmony, like a fortress standing steadfast amidst turbulent winds.

IV. Healing leverages asymmetrical meter, quintal harmony, and an extended horn solo to emulate the therapeutic and restorative aspects of healing spells.

V. Hex contrasts the adjacent movements with visceral energy. Utilizing plunger mutes, it produces a simulation of glossolalia, or "speaking in tongues." This movement ventures into the darker corners of the magical, emulating the complex energies associated with binding or disruptive spells.

Finally, VI. Counterspell (after Caresana) is a heartfelt tribute to my father. The movement integrates a lullaby for a grandfather by 17th-century Neapolitan composer Christofaro Caresana from his collection of songs, La Veglia.

Book of Spells was written for the Atlantic Brass Quintet and received its premiere at the Mostly Modern Festival in June 2023. It is my hope that audiences and performers alike will enjoy the exploration of the extraordinary within the familiar and the mystical within the musical.

—Stephen Cabell