Birte’s Soundtrack: The Desert Spear
Posted by Meg
Like I said in the fan art blog post, fan art can come in all different mediums allowing fans to tap into awesome amounts of creativity. Birte, from Germany, has created some incredibly unique compositions inspired by The Desert Spear. This is what she had to say:
I wrote this piece after reading The Desert Spear, and it shows one important aspect of the storyline: the fight against the demons, but not on the actual combat level, but more on a level of the mind. The music sort of describes the concentration and the fear as well as the determination that drives the characters to act.
Each instrument represents one individual character: the flute is Leesha, the violin is Rojer, the cello is Jardir and the piano is Arlen / the painted man. I chose the flute for Leesha because for me it is a very female and strong and clear instrument. I can think of no other sound that might fit her better. The violin for Rojer explains itself. What else could be better? Jardir got the cello because I felt he needed something deeper, yet an instrument that still sounded very melodic and would be able to play difficult and fast scales and figures. I also believe the sound of a cello is quite sexy.
Arlen / the painted man got the piano, because he is the most complex character. By giving him an instrument with two lines in the system I sort of wanted to show his two identities: Arlen and the painted man. The piano is also an instrument which can be played very virtuously. It shows his strength and knowledge and his way of moving but also his solitude, as the piano is often used as a solo instrument, and only very rarely as an equal to any other instrument in a larger group (not counting accompaniment for any other solo instrument).
It begins with sundown. Rojer loves the sun and daytime so much, that of course he notices the approaching night first. Next is Leesha and after her Jardir. The last one to greet the night is Arlen. The joyful major of the day soon becomes a dark and melancholic minor. Everyone is readying themselves for battle. The long part with the repeating fast octave figure paints the picture of fear, excitement and expectation. Each character to his or her own extent, changing slightly at the end of the figure.
Jardir is the first to start his mental dance in the fight against the night. With sure movements, that are nonetheless very elegant and lyrical, he dances with his spear. Imitating Jardir’s last musical movement Arlen is next to stand up to the demons. His is a slightly more brutal approach in the beginning that still seems to lead to something simple. He then again is imitated by Leesha in his last movement. Her melody is not at all brutal: after stumbling a bit with Arlen’s method, she quickly finds a sure and straight way to fight in her own way. Rojer is last to develop the will to fight. There is actually a small intermezzo, showing again the anxiety of the men, Leesha being the one who is keeping the balance before the “nervous breakdown”. The flute is gliding above the tangled melody of the other instruments and is sort of the one thing the ear can really concentrate on for a moment. The others are never absent till then. Suddenly Rojer appears with a complicated high figure. At first he seems nervous and a bit unsure but very soon he discovers a small motive that is quickly picked up by the others, thereof guiding the battle that everyone fights on his own and all at the same time, but still this motive I call “courage motive” pops up again and again until the piano, that has temporarily vanished, seizes a solo. It shows the loneliness and determination of the painted man; his solitude and his exact and deadly movements that flow like water.
In the end all the instruments come back. I wanted to show that, in order to achieve something, everyone has to be pulling into the same direction. They have to stand together, at least in their determination.
Wow. This is an absolutely stunning piece of work. I love it. I love the depth and the idea behind it for each character, finding their own melody, yet weaving with the others. Absolutely beautiful.