NOTES

My first musica intima concert was actually a rehearsal I attended during my time at the University of British Columbia. I was stunned by the group's sound and their attention to the nuance and beauty of their singing. Years later, I find myself with the chance to finally write for them. The twist to this story is that now I am good friends with many members of the ensemble. To write for an ensemble of this caliber is a privilege. To write for my friends is a true gift. To have the chance to do both at the same time is a rare and precious thing and it is with humble gratitude that I present this work to them on the occasion of their silver anniversary season.

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Based on the poem Pear Tree by American Poet Hilda Doolittle, the work is meant to evoke the essence of a tree and its perennial cycles. Rising melodic lines spiral upwards like branches between the triadic structures from which they are derived, the distance between each chord growing over time before the cycle inevitably begins anew. The resulting harmonic progression is eternal, with major chords simply spilling over one another, forever reaching. (KF)

Pear Tree

Silver dust

lifted from the earth,

higher than my arms reach,

you have mounted.

O silver,

higher than my arms reach

you front us with great mass;

no flower ever opened

so staunch a white leaf,

no flower ever parted silver

from such rare silver;

O white pear,

your flower-tufts,

thick on the branch,

bring summer and ripe fruits

in their purple hearts.

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—H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) 1886–1961