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Descending A Tree

from Symbols and Sounds by Paul Green/Greg Segal

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about

GS: The music follows the poetry in depicting the Tree of Life/sephiroth. The poem doesn't reference the paths, which is a good thing, I'd have been working on it well into next year. I could not pass up the opportunity to have an actual symbolic system to present musically, as opposed to all the more subjective stuff I usually handle. So for the tree: the left and right pillars number 3 sephiroth each, but have opposed character- the left is severity, the right is mercy. Fuzz bass is left path. clarinet (sometimes flute) is used for the right. The central pillar is often counted as having 4 sephiroth, but the poem counts Daath, bringing the number to 5, which I personally agree with. I began with the central pillar to create the note symbolism, and C being commonly used as a center in classical/western musical system, I based it around that. Kether and Malkuth are at opposite ends of the tree, and to me clearly suggested an octave, which is what I did. I chose three notes in between for a major feel, completing the middle pillar. Notes from left and right pillars then fell in between those, following the order the tree was "descended" in. The three notes for the left and right pillars are identical in pitch, but as mentioned above, opposite in character, and so, timbre. The order of the notes from top to bottom are first played through the poetic descriptions; the notes of the middle pillar are played by piano; the left and right notes are run through in order of descent; they play together, with the melody made by all 11 notes in order played on theremin over the interwoven tones; a guitar solo does variations on the notes, takes a whole mess o' liberties, then goes away; the weave of notes ends, and the sequence of 11 notes is played solo on the theremin to end. If this is confusing, I can't blame you, the description's off the top of my head, and it's actually more detailed than this. For those not familiar with the Tree of Life, it's probably as clear as mud. So: just listen to it and don't worry! Nobody's checking up on you! Hope you enjoy it!

lyrics

DESCENDING A TREE
KETHER
unbearable nuclear light/white hole/a void/flux-trap
CHOCKMAH
vast countenance of Odin
BINAH
calibrate her vinegar distilleries of justice
CHESED
crystalline rings interlocking a dark matter
DAATH
he crossed on the rope ladder woven of frogs
GEVURAH
we are your Martians now/battle-trucks of Planet Blood/out of meat/out of mind
TIPHARETH
a control room in the sun has the complete settings but too late
NETZACH
our tigers are burning baby/cackle of green stuff /her Venus catch my fire
HOD
machine chatter under a yellowing sky
YESOD
dreaming breast again against breast/apertures in flesh defences/
MALKUTH
frack an Earth-God in the depths of his plummy bowels/mix down water/fire in an alchemy of muddolls/festive tramplings

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from Symbols and Sounds, released December 3, 2017

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Greg Segal Portland, Oregon

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