aeiou (2014)

SSAA unaccompanied choir
Duration: 5’

Commissioned by the Yale Camerata

Premiered December 11, 2014 at Woolsey Hall, Yale University, CT
Yale Camerata

for SSAA unaccompanied choir performed by the Yale Camerata “Since our natural voices are inarticulate, words would have few articulations; a few interspersed consonants elimination the hiatus between vowels would suffice to make them fluid and easy to pronounce. On the other hand, its sounds would be extremely varied, and variety of accents would multiply the same voices; Quantity, rhythm would make possible still further combinations; so that since voices, sounds, accent, quantity, which are by nature, would leave little to be done by articulations, which are by convention, men would sing rather than speak…[this first language] would have many irregularities and anomalies, it would neglect grammatical analogy in favor of the euphony, variety, harmony, and beauty of sounds.” —J.J. Rousseau, Essay on the Origin of Languages (trans. Victor Gourevitch)


aeiou explores shifts in color produced by changes in vowel sounds that take place as the voices expand outward from a central point. The consonants should add a mild articulation to changing harmonies. These consonants are nonsensical, but as more consonants are added, they should evoke or imply an imaginary text, assembled and interpreted by the listener. This piece is inspired by a passage from Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Essay on the Origin of Languages:

“Since our natural voices are inarticulate, words would have few articulations; a few interspersed consonants elimination the hiatus between vowels would suffice to make them fluid and easy to pronounce. On the other hand, its sounds would be extremely varied, and variety of accents would multiply the same voices; Quantity, rhythm would make possible still further combinations; so that since voices, sounds, accent, quantity, which are by nature, would leave little to be done by articulations, which are by convention, men would sing rather than speak…[this first language] would have many irregularities and anomalies, it would neglect grammatical analogy in favor of the euphony, variety, harmony, and beauty of sounds.” 

(trans. Victor Gourevitch)