Orchestra
SKU:
SU.27020085
For
Orchestra. Composed
by Graham Gordon Ramsay.
Orchestra. Study Score.
Subito Music Corporation
#27020085. Published by
Subito Music Corporation
(SU.27020085).
Jacob vs. Angel
is a piece about crisis
of conscience, ambiguity,
and misinterpretation
expressed through the
depiction of a major
battle, the goal of which
is never made entirely
clear. Based on the
biblical story, the work
is highly programmatic,
with each of the six
movements reflecting a
corresponding stanza from
the titular poem by Alice
Weaver Flaherty. The
piece was originally
composed as a vehicle for
virtuoso organist
Heinrich Christensen, and
later orchestrated. The
first movement introduces
the main musical
material--a five note
motive, the intervals of
which are reorganized to
create melodic and
harmonic development
throughout the piece. The
second, third, and fourth
movements depict the
brutal fight between
Jacob and the angel, and
lead one to the next
without pause. The fifth
movement is about the
post-battle scene, and
the final movement is an
epilogue, reframing the
ideas from the previous
movements. The music
elucidates various
actions from the Flaherty
poem—sand
skittering across the
desert, aggressive acts
of violence and
sensuality between the
protagonists, the beating
of wings, feathers
blowing in the wind, etc.
But beyond the music's
more literal elements,
the work is designed to
express an abstract state
of mind, a sense of
unease, and anticipation
of what is yet to come.
—Graham Gordon
Ramsay2(2) 1,1 2 2; 2221;
7perc, hp, cel; stgs
Duration: 24'Composed:
2023 Published by:
Distributed Composer
Jacob vs Angel was
composed originally as a
solo concert organ work
in 2007; the orchestral
version was completed in
2023. A live performance
of the organ version can
be seen at. Performance
materials available on
rental:.