My sonata for two guitars, "At the Circus", was inspired by the spirit, characters and sounds of the circus, the films of Charlie Chaplin, as well as the harmonic and rhythmic language of jazz and the player piano studies of Conlon Nancarrow.
The four movements of the work (cast in the classical four movement sonata structure) were conceived with a programmatic arc. The first movement begins with the low rumbling of the circus coming to town and the hammering-in of tent spikes as the big top slowly rises, followed by the metaphorical entrance of the elephants, the barking of the ringmaster and so on. Specific "characters" are then introduced in movements dedicated to the clown and trapeze artist. The work finishes with a Finale which combines all the material of the previous three movements, culminating in a coda in which I imagined the tents folding up and the circus moving on.
Throughout the work, the guitarists are often called on to play in multiple "speeds" simultaneously (as in Nancarrow's Player Piano Studies and the Etudes of Ligeti). Though usually the two speeds are divided between the two guitarists, sometimes two different rhythmic layers are played by one player. For example, the first movement Big Top (written in conventional sonata form) requires one guitarist to play a more or less steady 3/4 bass line with his thumb whilst playing a staccato chordal pattern in a speed ratio of 4:3 with the fingers (as the other guitarist plays a melody in octaves in a combination of the two speeds). This approach represents the both the simultaneous occurence of multiple events (as in the three-ring circus) and the acrobat's virtuosity (and it is indeed a technically challenging piece to play!).
The second movement, Maurice the Clown is a jazz-blues homage to Gershwin and Satie, borrowing from the latter the textural basis of the Gymnopedies as well as the incorporation of a text written underneath the music which conveys sketchy details of the story of an archetypal sad clown called Maurice (pronounced in the French/American way, not the British "Morris") who has an unrequieted love for the beautiful trapeze artist Lolicia, who in turn only has eyes for the strongman Sergei. The text is not meant to be read aloud, but rather is there to amuse and inspire the performer:
Shouldn't have let Gunther talk him into those five more for the road last night. Not as young as he used to be. But there she is! Floating high above, like an angel! "Ah Lolicia, could you ever love a clown like me?" (her sparkling laughter) But when Sergei lumbers past (the handlebar moustache, the many bulges), she gets flustered, has a rare miss. Sometimes (only just sometimes), stuffed into a tiny car with Hairy Larry and vain, vain Bobby Otter, he wonders if it's all worth it. Later, he see them kissing over by the cages. Oh Maurice! Is that a teardrop on your jacket? (No, only a leak from his flower.)
The third movement, Girl on a Swing, fulfills the role of the scherzo in the four movement sonata structure, drawing on the old music hall tune "Girl on the flying trapeze" as the basis for a polyrhythmic fantasy/waltz. Though quoted in bits, the melody is more often used as a vocabluary of motivic elements that are re-combined in various ways.
The last movement, Grand Finale (with apotheosis), again brings in elements of the blues, exploiting the alternation of major and minor thirds that features extensively throughout the sonata. Gradually, all the elements of the previous movements are brought together, including the simultaneous presentation of the "Maurice" and "Lolicia" themes at two different speeds. The music builds to a climax before closing with a quiet coda which fades away, emotionally recalling for me the closing moments of Chaplin's classic film "The Circus".
"At the Circus" (Sonata for Two Guitars) duration: 19'' I. Big Top II. Maurice the Clown III. Girl on a Swing IV. Grand Finale (with apotheosis)
