Ni fleurs ni couronnes: Monument pour Jonathan Harvey

Composed in
2013

For
Violin with ghost violins and bells

Instrumentation
Violin with 4 (or 2) channel tape

Duration
ca. 13′

First performance
October 26, 2013 at Stuk, Labozaal in Leuven (B), Transit Festival. Wibert AERTS, violin & Centre Henri Pousseur, electronics

Commissioned by
Jean-Luc PEÊRS

Dedicated to
Wibert AERTS

Publisher
Donemus

Luc on Ni fleurs ni couronnes:
Monument pour Jonathan Harvey was composed on commission by Jean-Luc Peêrs for violinist Wibert Aerts. The score is dedicated to Wibert Aerts and in memory of my friend Jonathan Harvey, who passed away too soon in December 2012.

The piece is written for violin with ghost violins and ghost bells in four-channel audio. This audio was produced at the Centre Henri Pousseur in Liège, with special thanks to Jean-Marc Sullon. The 'ghost bells' are not actual bell sounds, but rather samples of the lids of pots and pans from my kitchen.

The piece lasts approximately 12 minutes and consists of an introduction followed by four sections of unequal length. The introduction presents high harmonics with long chords played by the ghost violins. The first (short) section is a counterpoint of quarter-tone melodies, leading into a long 'quasi cadenza' section, in which the violin is joined by an increasing number of violins. This builds to a climax where the ghost bells enter at full intensity. These bells remain present in the short third section, which leads into the finale, where the violin sounds are subjected to ring modulation. The work ends peacefully, against a backdrop of repeated deep bell tones—a reference to the conclusion of Jonathan Harvey’s classic Mortuos plango, vivos voco.