Meditations and Toccatas in the ancient modes

 

 

Meditations and Toccatas in the Ancient Modes offers harpists a unique journey into the expressive world of Dorian and Phrygian modality, reimagined through a modern harmonic palette.

Written specifically for 36-string lever harp and fully adaptable to pedal harp, the cycle transforms modal writing into a vivid concert experience. The pieces require few—if any—lever changes, allowing performers to focus on sound, phrasing, and musical expression rather than mechanical adjustments. Lyrical, singing Meditations unfold in spacious resonance, while the Toccatas bring rhythmic vitality and brilliant yet accessible virtuosity.

The music combines clear melodic lines with rich seventh and ninth harmonies, subtle modal shifts, and colorful extended techniques—including harmonics, xylophonic sounds, glissandi, and Aeolian chords—always integrated musically rather than used for display.

Ideal for both recital programs and sacred or resonant acoustic settings, these works balance architectural clarity with expressive warmth. Each Meditation and Toccata form a cohesive diptych, offering performers flexibility: individual movements may stand alone, or the full pairing can create a compelling formal arc.

A refined addition to the contemporary harp repertoire, this collection invites the performer to explore resonance, color, and modal transformation with both discipline and imagination.

The printed score is available at Amazon (click here)

The PDF score is available at SheetMusicPlus (click here)

Preface

Composed in the autumn of 2024, and revised in 2026, Meditations and Toccatas in the Ancient Modes arose from a personal artistic intention: to write a work that could inhabit both the concert hall and the liturgical space. The aim was not to produce functional sacred music, but rather a form of “pure” instrumental writing capable of adapting naturally to a sacred acoustic and spiritual context, while retaining full structural autonomy in performance.

The choice of modality emerged in part from the practical limitations of the 36–string lever harp. Rather than perceiving these limitations as constraints, they became a generative stimulus. The reduced availability of chromatic alteration encouraged a disciplined exploration of modal resources and suggested a musical language in which constraint functions as creative catalyst. The “ancient modes” of the title are therefore not invoked as historical reconstruction, nor as reference to medieval repertories, but as part of an imagined Gothic sound world — an abstract medievalism shaped more by architectural and spiritual associations than by direct musicological models.

Although grounded in modal scales (primarily Dorian and Phrygian), the harmonic language incorporates modern sonorities, including seventh and ninth chords. Dissonance is treated not as instability demanding resolution, but as color within a modal field — an approach that, while independent in conception, may recall the harmonic sensibilities of Debussy, Ravel, or Puccini. The modal environment remains structurally central, yet it is animated by contemporary harmonic inflection.

The cycle consists of two diptychs, each formed by a Meditation followed by a Toccata. Each pair may be understood as a two-movement sonata. All four movements adopt an abbreviated sonata form: the development section elaborates exclusively on the first theme, while the recapitulation begins directly with the second theme. In the Toccatas, an additional coda reinforces the closing gesture.

Within this formal framework, the traditional tonal trajectory of sonata form is reinterpreted through modality. Instead of tonal modulation, the music employs modal modulation — the shifting from one mode to another over the course of a movement. A single thematic idea may thus assume contrasting expressive characters when articulated in different modal environments. Moreover, within each diptych, the harmonic path traced in the Meditation reappears in the corresponding Toccata, creating an intimate structural and expressive connection between the two movements. This same connection is reaffirmed through the melodic approach: Meditation and Toccata are conceived as complementary, despite their evident differences — cantabile lyricism on the one hand, measured virtuosity on the other. Even in the faster movements, melodic clarity remains central. Polyphonic interplay between two voices appears in selected passages, though the overall texture privileges transparency over density. The virtuosic writing of the Toccatas is brilliant yet restrained, incorporating extended techniques such as harmonics, xylophonic sounds, varied glissandi, and Aeolian chords, all integrated into the musical discourse rather than presented as mere display.

The work was conceived on a 36-string lever harp and requires few, if any, lever changes. Nevertheless, it may be performed effectively on pedal harp. The writing favors resonance and breadth of sonority; muffling is rarely necessary. The ideal acoustic is one that allows sustained reverberation — a space analogous to a cathedral interior — in which harmonic color and modal transformation can unfold fully.

Interpretatively, each theme should be clearly characterized according to its modal and expressive function. The Meditations invite an emotive and singing approach, yet without excessive rubato: tempo should remain steady and proportionate. The Toccatas do not demand extreme speed; brilliance derives from articulation and rhythmic vitality rather than sheer tempo.

Each movement is bipartite, with repeat signs marking both sections. The repeats are optional, but structural balance requires consistency: either all repeats within a movement are observed, or none. Performing only the repeat of the first section and omitting the second is discouraged, as this disrupts the intended symmetry. While individual movements may be performed separately, the complete diptych remains the preferred artistic unit.

In these works, modality is not treated as a static archaic frame, but as a dynamic structural principle capable of sustaining formal architecture, harmonic color, and expressive contrast. The “ancient” thus becomes a living resource — a means of shaping contemporary instrumental discourse through clarity, resonance, and disciplined imagination.