The Seven Days of Creation (2023)

Karen Beaumont (b. 1965) — The Seven Days of Creation (2023) for organ

0:00 | Day 1: Light (An Ionian Bicinium)
1:52 | Day 2: Firmament (A Dorian Pavane)
5:19 | Day 3: Earth, Sea, Plants (A Phrygian Randonnée)
8:12 | Day 4: Sun, Moon, Stars (Musica universalis in modo lidio)
11:23 | Day 5: Sea Creatures and Birds (A Mixolydian Furiant)
14:10 | Day 6: Humans and Animals (An Aeolian Recitative)
17:29 | Day 7: A Day of Rest (A Locrian Hymn)

The composer writes: The Seven Days of Creation (2023) began as a prompt from Carson Cooman, suggesting that it would be interesting to have a work based on the seven modes—seven sections that would be related but could also stand alone. I began with thinking of lists of sevens—seven days a week, seven colors in the rainbow, etc.—and settled on the seven days of creation because they each have a distinctive theme and yet together create an overall narrative and arc. I decided to pair the modes in order with the days of creation and then sought to discover the commonality between the theme of the day, so to speak, and the sound/atmosphere created by a particular mode. To direct the musical material more specifically, I attempted to discover a musical form or idea that could convey both the theme of the day and tenor of the mode—hence, for instance, a randonnée (a “ramble” in French) for the earth, a bicinium for light (vs. dark), etc. The pieces were composed in order, helping me to create a narrative.

American organist and composer Karen Beaumont (b. 1965) received her degree in Music History from the University of Wisconsin and studied organ with Gerre Hancock, John Behnke, Jeffrey Peterson, and Carol Haakenson. Beaumont has performed as a recitalist in numerous venues throughout the USA and the UK. From 1988 to 2011 she provided the organ and choral music for St. James Episcopal Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Published by SMP Press

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?Ntt=beaumont+creation&aff_id=88095