Quiet Places for string quartet by David A. Jaffe
I first became aware of the "dawn chorus" of birds when living in a
tent in a field outside of Ithaca, NY in the spring of 1975. Ever
since then, I have been seeking places where the peaceful cacophony of
natural sound can be heard without the intrusion of noise from
automobiles, airplanes and other human sources. I have made
recordings of such "quiet places" in the heart of the Brazillian
Pantanal, in remote parts of Queensland, Australia and elsewherePbut
they are getting harder and harder to find. Quiet places are full of
sound, often quite raukus, but there is always a sense of underlying
tranquility that draws us in and brings to our attention our own inner
noisy places: the preoccupations and worries that separate us from the
world.
Quiet Places invokes an imaginary visit to such places. The "quietness" refers not to the dynamic level, but to the way time flows, to a kind of stillness bordering on sadness.
The piece is in seven connected sections:
- quiet place 1
- breath
- quiet place 2
- mantra
- quiet place 3
- noisy place
- whisper song