Agroteran Dithyramb
Instrumentation: horn alone
Duration: 7 min.
Year: 2018
commissioned by Katherine Bramlett
Program Note:
The primary motif of the piece is based on the trope of the hunting horn call. This call, however, takes on a wild, frantic aspect as it is augmented by dissonant leaps and unexpected rhythms and intervals. The word Agrotera was an epithet for the Greek goddess Artemis, to whom was attributed wisdom, beauty, and the hunt. Dithyramb is a kind of ancient Greek ritual dance most often featured in festivities for the god Dionysus, deity of wine and revelry. Similar in essence to a Bacchanal, the dithyramb is associated with wild revelry, frenzy, and excited raving. The use of modality, melody, and rhythm all aim to evoke this ancient scene. This piece aims to fuse these two ideas, referencing both the history of the instrument and the primal nature of the dithyramb.
Jonathan Snead 