Prism - M. A. Cruz (2006)

Prism - M. A. Cruz (2006) (Score and Parts)

Intermediate to Advanced

Prism has a potpourri of influences from jazz to Bach. It contains a spectrum of color, style and composition devices with its key layout in arch form. Very effective and always an audience favorite!

During it’s inception, Prism was titled after listening to an NPR radio show which featured a therapist by the name of Dr. Dan Gottlieb, who treats Quadriplegic patients. He mentioned that one of his patients viewed her soul as “a prism of many colors...”, a vivid analogy of one’s inner self. It is interesting to know that Dr. Gottlieb is himself a quadriplegic and it is amazing to think that someone facing such great adversity through his life is helping others who are experiencing the same challenges.

The title, Prism, is appropriate as this piece is made up of a variety of textures (colors, if you will). The theme, which is inspired by jazz idioms, is coupled with the pizzicato effect. A reduction to one guitar morphs the piece into a contrapuntal episode inspired by Bach. This section leads into dramatic new material which was originally intended to be developmental but inadvertently, by it’s strength, became the C section. This is followed by hymn style writing in a much slower and lyrical setting. A duo is introduced midway through the hymn portion of the piece and joined by the other two guitars to bring the work back to it’s original, quick, tempo and theme in the dominant key. This is followed by the return of the C section and concludes with a coda for new material based on existing content. The coda yields to the inevitable return to the home key.

The strength of this work rests on the foundation of a symmetrical key structure. The piece opens with A minor, it then modulates to E minor, then to E major, back to E minor, and finally, returns to A minor, creating an arch form.