Composing Spotlight: Labyrinth

Movement V. Despondency

Continuing the walkthrough of my Master's Thesis...

This movement marks the midpoint of the Labyrinth, and also functions as a developmental bridge between I-IV and VI-IX. Chased out of the fourth movement by some sort of minotaur-like presence, forward motion grinds to a halt here. The entire fifth movement is characterized by slow, plodding, elephantine motions, gradually getting deeper and muddier until it collapses under its own weight.

The primary melodic material in this section is played by the violin, and was first introduced by muted trumpet in the third movement -- it has morphed from a busy, productive line into a more melancholy one. Over the slow 4/2 tempo, I take almost every motive heard so far and work each one into counterpoint with the melody, stacking them up like chromatically-buttered pancakes.

This is the movement where the protagonist feels like the Labyrinth will never be completed, which is very similar to how I felt about writing the piece at this point in its lifecycle.

Listen to the fifth movement (3:55 MP3)

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