Five Haikus for Lina

This collection of five brief compositions for solo violin came to light after reading the following haikus by Matsuo Bashô:

Fading temple bell

the fragrance of flowers strikes

at evening.

Rippling waves

the fragrance of wind

in their rhythm.

Already autumn

even sprinkles of rain

in the moon’s shape.

Summer grass

the only remains of soldier’s

dreams.

Many islands

broken into pieces

summer’s sea.

Every piece aims to keep loyal to the spirit -or, at least, to the suggestive atmospheres- of the original poems. 

The first haiku uses as primal material the notes corresponding to the partials of the spectrum of three bell-plates, whose tuning (G, D, A) correspond at the same time to the three lower strings of the violin. 

The second haiku is built in retrograde. Through a filtering and decalage process, the same sequence of notes keeps coming back to itself. 

The third haiku develops from the intervalic succession of complaint (descending semitone) and hope (ascending tone), and it does not shun from bittersweet harmonies produced by the specific sound of double strings.

The fourth haiku faces the beginning of the piece with a vehement, but also rather odd character -maybe a reminiscence of old battles- and gives way to a pentatonic melody, which modulates through different pitches. The twelve chromatic notes appear, in this manner, according to the range of the instrument. 

The last haiku develops by the repetition and interruption of irregular patterns while it plays with the progressive colour transformation of the resulting sound. 

The work was comissioned and premiered by Lina Tur in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), in March 28th 2022. The composition is dedicated to her.

https://www.linaturbonet.com