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'Dover Beach' for soprano, Kingma-system alto flute, bass clarinet, electronics

This song cycle uses Matthew Arnold’s poem as a springboard to interrogate ideas that will subsequently be used in my forthcoming opera Singularity - particularly a more complex system of microtonal harmony than I have attempted before.

I expected that creating a harmonic system based on accurately tuned natural overtone pitches of groups of extremely low roots combined with vocal material in equal temperament would allow for a highly expressive new language that can effectively be realised in performance.

The initial compositional impetus was to research new harmonic possibilities, and all other aspects of the works unfold from this perspective. The use of electronics allowed me to create chords using the overtone pitches outlined above which may also be transferred to the instrumental material. The great flexibility of the new Kingma-system flutes and bass clarinet allows for considerable freedom in this respect since accurate pitches (specified to the nearest cent) can be asked for and achieved without compromise.

Throughout composition close collaboration with the performers was essential, and I particularly drew on Carla Rees’s recent RCM doctoral research into the new low flutes and Sarah Watts’s work on new methods for the bass clarinet.

Dover Beach clearly demonstrates that the use of this system can produce highly expressive, effective music that can be practically realised in performance. In particular, the range of emotional colours afforded by these harmonies considerably expands upon that achievable by use of equal temperament alone.

This work has been publicly performed several times, at both concerts and the Tête à Tête and Grimeborn festivals of new opera. It is also available not only as a published score but also as a recording. The reach of these has already been considerable, with orders for scores and recordings coming from across Europe and the United States.