Friday, January 4, 2013

Pamela Sklar - Spell 166

Pamela Sklar
By Pamela Sklar

Spell 166 refers to one of the magical protective Spells from the Ancient Egyptian Book of The Dead, aka Book of Illumination. Always attracted to this imaginative, colorful culture with its rituals and symbols, I composed Spell 166 for piccolo, flute, two alto flutes, bass flute (with optional contrabass flute doubling bass fl) and organ. Throughout the faster sections I used sixteenth notes frequently, like a hypnotic chant. I've also included Middle Eastern scale passages for flute & organ as well as one long, bending chord which ends a slow, dreamy passage. Another effect I liked using is unison 'pulsing' flutes; a strong, deliberate vibrato which creates a mixed sense of power and mystery. Finally in the last section you'll hear organ sextuplets playing against the flutes in groups of four (six against 4). A fun rhythmic contrast!

*For more on Pamela Sklar, visit her website at http://www.pamelasklar.com/ and her artist page on the Powell Recording Studio at https://www.powellflutes.com/recording-studio/artists/pamela-sklar.

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