The Composition’s Origins:
I have always been fascinated and horrified by the cultural implications that occurred during Nazi rule. It astonished me that atrocities such as the Holocaust could occur in a civilized culture. It was unfathomable to me that a political leader could propagate such hatred for the oppressed while simultaneously gaining support from his constituency. As an outsider, I never understood how evil on such a massive scale was allowed to continue for so long.
In 1995, I was watching a PBS documentary on the concentration camps in which a poem was read to conclude the episode. The poem, “Who Am I?” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, has travelled with me, occupied my thoughts, and has finally served as the impetus for this composition. Until hearing that poem, I only wondered how the oppressors could commit such unspeakable acts. I never once considered how the acts of the oppressors could make the victims question their own value and worth. The poem was eye-opening for me in its depiction of the visceral conflict that existed in one victim’s mind between the horrifying reality of the time and the ideals of peace and self-worth that must have seemed like a futile dream. This composition has been in my thoughts for over 20 years but has not come to fruition until recently. I never felt that I had the necessary tools to do justice to such a complex, brutal, and raw subject.
This piece was written to certainly honor those who suffered the oppressions of the Holocaust; however, it is my hope that it goes beyond a musical setting of the text or a memorial for the victims, casualties, and survivors who endured those atrocities. This composition is my attempt to grasp how such evil can thrive and what impact it can have on those whom it touches. The title is a reference to a quote that has been attributed to Dietrich Bonhoeffer; a quote that I feel points to the heart of the matter, and guides each of us to do what is virtuous even when it is the harder of two paths. “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
About the Music:
In silence… incorporates numerous tools to fully represent the emotions of the poetry and to add a sense of continuity to the composition. Most significantly, I’ve used several leitmotifs to represent various emotions within the poetry. The three primary leitmotifs as well as a few secondary motives are described below:
The “Who am I?” motif, is performed by unaccompanied cello at the opening of the composition. This motif is heard quite frequently in the strings but is eventually incorporated into each of the instruments’ musical contributions to varying degrees. The idea is to perhaps represent how there might be individuals from all perspectives who question their worth, their character, and in some cases their role in those atrocities.
The “Hope” motif is characterized by a downward weeping motion. This motive is used to symbolize both the sadness of the oppressed, and their hope that it will end. It is initially played in its entirety by the clarinet and then permeates other voices either as melodic fragments or as a complete statement.
The “Oppression” or “Anger” motif is initially heard in the trumpet with supporting figures from the rest of the ensemble. It represents a drastic shift in sonority and compositional make-up within the context of the piece. Much like when such despotic views, when ignored, can signal a drastic change in culture. This motif functions as brief interjections at the beginning of the composition, but eventually overwhelms the composition’s texture at the height of the poetry’s frustration.
A few secondary leitmotifs are used, primarily in percussion. The first is the “broken time” motif played by temple blocks, which is used to represent the way I imagine time would progress for someone who has been persecuted and imprisoned simply for who they are: slowly, disjointedly, and with seemingly no end in sight. The second is the “heartbeat” motif, which grows from initial statements in the Toms. This motif is used to symbolize the anxiety that must have been felt when those who were oppressed dared to remember how their life differed before the Holocaust.
Several aspects of the poetry resonated with me. One of which was the way in which Bonhoeffer presented the question, “Who am I?” and then alternately explored the contradictions between the past he remembered, the brutal present he was experiencing, and his seemingly futile hope for a world where acceptance and equity would exist. Ultimately, he relegated the outcome and his fate to his faith in God, which shows a rare strength of conviction with which many of us would struggle but seems to have been a common thread that helped many of those who suffered through the holocaust endure.