20: The Title

Some pieces seem to come with the title built in. Freefall was like that; having composed only a few bars I knew what it was called. I had decided early on that Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra would not have a descriptive title; it had no program (or, more truthfully, none that I will admit to) and I wanted it to be heard as music not as story.

The horn concerto, of course, began with a concept and yet I had great difficulty finding its name. With comets and stars, birth, life and death, the unknown and the conscious on my mind you would think a title would be an easy choice.

Comet McNaught 20 Jan 2007 Sydney (Photos: Mark Coomber)

The word ‘light’ kept insistently occurring to me but I wanted something that alluded to the unknown. In the Light was a title I considered for a long time, albeit half-heartedly. While it implied that there was a place outside of the light it struck me as rather prosaic and well used.

When stuck for a title I read poetry and this time science magazines as well,  in the hope that some collections of words will compliment the music I am imagining.

“We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.” – Rumi

This quote with its powerful, expansive movement struck me the day I read it. Trouble was it was on the back cover of an album by Kayhan Kalhor, an album he called Scattering Stars Like Dust. What a wonderful title.

One day the concerto was suddenly called Lightfall for Horn and Orchestra. Why it hadn’t occurred to me earlier, given its relation to the titles of some of my previous works, I don’t know. Nor can I remember exactly when it appeared but, looking back through my sketches, I see that I used it on 2 September 2008.

I was aware that the word ‘lightfall’ could have two, antithetical interpretations. Most would take the word to mean the on-coming of light, such as a sunrise; but it could equally mean the opposite, the falling away of light. Although the title was chosen for the earlier concept of the concerto I found it even more suitable for the final work with its two, opposite images.

I intentionally avoided the word ‘concerto’ in the title because I felt that it brought too much baggage, too many preconceived notions about what such a piece should be. Of course, it is a concerto, but it lacks some of the features generally associated with the form, specifically pyrotechnics (although it is a difficult solo part), cadenzas (although there are solo moments) or the methodical presentation of all possible sounds and techniques available to the horn.