Some of the history and thoughts behind the songs of
MosaicMosaic introduces the CD by telling us that we will be hearing a story, but in pieces. Each song then is to be heard as a tile in a mosaic, and the figures and the story emerges from all the songs taken together. In other words, you may need to squint a little. And I'm not going to write a novel here; you still have to do some work to put it together.Trileigh Tucker suggested the idea of the song to me. The long sections, the second section and the nearly last section, are stolen from Robert Schumann using a technique called ritardation. Not the tempo, but the notes are ritarded, held back and then they resolve up instead of down. This comes back in the last song "Beyond."
There is also a funny little bait and switch scheme in this song. We hear the soloists sing what sounds like a preview of the song "In This Moment" in the middle of "Mosaic," and there are words and all. But when we get to the song on the CD, it's an instrumental! As part of the bait and switch there is a sense in this song that this will be a happy album all about love, cheerio. Well, the CD is about love, but these lovers are rarely happy. So we dive right into "My Purpose."
My PurposeI had an idea to write some sonnets, these things happen. "My Purpose" was the result, with some other fine poetry. I wanted the poem to show a guy over the top, deeply determined, and maybe for the wrong reasons.The scene reminds me of a scene in Tolkein, where Beren meets Lothian, whom he calls Tinuviel. This is from the Simirillian, it's fairly obscure. However, in the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn sings a little song just before Weathertop (Amin Sul) that is about this incident. For Tolkein freaks (like yours truly) it is a fabulous and important scene. So I was going to call the song "Tinuviel." But that got shot down as too obscure and geeky. And anyway, my song is creepier, there is something doomed about this guy. Not that Beren wasn't doomed in his own way. But when the lyrics say, "I play with joy and sorrow," you get the feeling that he has some sense of what he is getting himself into.
I love the mix of the different musical styles. I played it for a guy on the Web who said, "That song's great, Charlie. I always like a good psychedelic Gregorian show-tune with a country twang!" Sounds awful, yet somehow accurate.
I played the guitar lead as a scratch, but it was a good day and it stayed.
Favorite GameFavorite game was written by Melanie Fernandi for the movie "Urban World," which she also starred in. Hey, they didn't use the song. Mel and I were talking one day about her singing on the CD and I asked her if she had any songs. She suggested this one, which I had heard before (I worked on the score for that movie, too) but forgotten about. When I heard it again I realized it was perfect. I had always wondered why the female character was getting into this relationship, and this song told me why. It's kind of dark.
In This MomentThey hook up. 'Nough said?Musically it's worth pointing out that the solos are structured differently than jazz solos usually are. Usually the form of the song is repeated, but here the song is broken up into little chunks and those are repeated. Live it would and should go on longer, but we didn't want to get too far from the vocals on the CD.
Best of YourselfBy Jean.Couples need to figure out their attitude towards each other. This song suggests that some people want to keep it loose.
When Brian Kirk heard this one he said, "There's your hit."
Down From AboveWe all know someone like this: an overachiever who tries to find satisfaction in perfection, rather than in loving and being loved.
The Idea of YouSura says, "We've all had relationships like this."I quote a chord progression from Debussy in the verse, that was the inspiration for the music of the song.
UntilIn this song a lover expresses his frustration, and shows his attitude towards the loved. He says he's going to stick it out "until."The music comes from a number of places. I like the opening chord, and most of the song is built around that sound. It is actually related to the opening chord of "My Purpose" and of some chords in another song we left off, a song called "The Hoyden."
The other important idea for constructing this song was hearing how the meaning of a verb changed slightly when first used transitively then intransitively.
Two other points: I originally wrote: "Hope is bitter, grief is worse." But it's oh, so much better the other way. And, isn't Ray's flugelhorn solo great? Jean said, "That makes the piece," and I agree.
Bigger Than MeThis song is for everyone that has lost a love. That's about everybody, isn't it?Rising bass line, kind of a theme that goes into a lot of the songs.
I wrote this, words and melody, on a plane, notating it all in solfege. I really like the second chorus, lyrically and structurally.
For The BlissTrying to get over it. I really appreciate Jean's approach to teasing out the good from the bad.This song used to be called "Reconciliation."
AlexandriaI wrote this a long time ago as an art song, and it is the most artsy and difficult song on the CD. But I always thought it would work well as a song not quite fully pop but still tonal enough to give you plenty to hang on to.The story is Marc Anthony standing at a window in Alexandria, about to commit suicide. A great moment, Cleopatra is lying dead next to him, Octavia is bombing the city, he's doomed.
I guess my male character sees himself as playing big roles. In "My Purpose" he is Beren, father of the noblest humans. Here he is Marc Anthony, failed hero of antiquity.
My younger daughter was discussing with me whether the character of this song actually does himself in. We decided he does.
BeyondJean says that this is what people sing when they are standing around a grave. That seems right.We went looking for a last song. I actually spent about two days firmly believing that we should do "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" as the last song. I still think we should cover it in some one of my bands. But the consensus was, "Go forth and don't cover, but write a new one." So, there you have it, rising bass line and all.
