A concert for peace

At 8 p.m. June 5, the Melomanie ensemble will present a joint benefit concert with the justice advocacy group Pacem in Terris.

Known for intriguing programs combining early period music and new commissions, Melomanie’s round-the-world itinerary features local composers Chris Braddock and Mark Hagerty. Works by Telemann, J.S. Bach, Diego Ortiz and Astor Piazzolla are also in the mix.

The concert is at Grace United Methodist Church, 900 Washington St., Wilmington. For tickets, call (302) 764-6338 or see www.melomanie.org.

The evening coincides with the 20th SOWETO Festival art exhibit in the Grace Church gallery. A reception with poetry runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. This is also a city Art Loop night.

Composers Mark Hagerty and Chris Braddock talk about the works to be heard below:

Mark Hagerty inspired by India

Alla rāga is the third of five movements that make up my third harpsichord suite. Many pieces of music historically have been given similar titles or indications — Marcia alla turca (Turkish March), Alla danza tedesca (like a German dance) —which inform the listener of the inspiration or intent of the piece and give the performer an indication of how it should be played. In this case, the type of music referenced is the classical music of India, typically executed on sitar with tablas (characteristic Indian drums).

The incongruous Indian-inspired music in a harpsichord suite is a take-off on the Baroque tradition of including different national styles (and sometimes exotic elements) in pieces. Often, past composers’ understanding of the music of other cultures was incomplete, and the result of their borrowing was more an expression of the composer’s native style than a close approximation of the admired (or parodied) model. But that very misunderstanding is often productive, and the result offers something new.

My fascination with and affection for Indian music goes back decades. On the occasions when I have traveled to India, I have made it a point to spend at least one night at a sitar performance. I wanted to take my Western ears’ impressions to develop a wholly new kind of piece for the harpsichord.

Two essential characteristics of the sitar are its (by Western standards) complex tuning and its bending of pitch for melodic, ornamental and expressive purposes. Because the harpsichord, tuned and played normally, cannot produce either of these effects, I developed some new “ornaments” (additional rapid notes that embellish the melody) that seem to give the effect of bending pitch in the piece.

Another essential characteristic of the sitar is the droning pitches, which do not change. This harpsichord can accomplish this effect, and by giving the drone pitches rhythmic motion as the piece progresses, I was able to provide some of the rhythmic drive supplied by the tablas. Both sitar and harpsichord are plucked (one by hand, one mechanically), and both have an insistent tone.

So while they are widely separated by geography, design and tradition, they do have some common traits, which is what suggested this music.

Chris Braddock's duet

A couple of years ago, Tracy Richardson and I collaborated on a piece I’d written for dobro and harpsichord. It got a positive reaction when we performed it together at a Mélomanie concert. But I couldn’t figure out if that reaction was due to the real musical worth of the piece or rather the novelty of combining an American bluegrass instrument with a European classical one. The last thing any composer wants is to use a cheap gimmick to get applause.

Last year Tracy suggested doing another piece for that combination. It’s always great to work with Tracy, so I said, “Sure!” I’d been playing mandolin and enjoying it so much that I decided to write a duet for those two instruments. For one thing, the mandolin is a much easier instrument to play convincingly than the dobro.

And the combination makes sense. They’re both plucked, metal-string instruments. The project assumed greater legitimacy last fall, when my family and I visited Mount Vernon, the northern Virginia estate of George and Martha Washington. During the house tour, one walks past the music room. There were a harpsichord and a mandolin.

Like many composers, and especially guitarists, I have lots of little “riffs” in my head. These figures sound particularly good on the mandolin. So I assembled these segments into a coherent piece of music. The harpsichord part came after that.

Composers sometimes say they’re disappointed the first time they hear a piece rehearsed. Perhaps it’s hard to measure up to the version in their heads. That was not the case with my piece “Pluck.” Right away it seemed natural, spontaneous and full of energy.

See www.braddockmusic.com.