7/7, by Paul Sanho Kim
Seung-Hye Kim, piano; Paul Sanho Kim, violin; Elizabeth Meszaros, cello
7/7 is the birthday of my daughter, who was born at 7:49pm, weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces at 21 inches in length. This work celebrates the joy and energy she brings to myself and my family, as well as our dreams for a happy future for her. The first movement looks back toward her earliest years and the joy of welcoming her into our lives. The second movement is dreamlike in character, representing the myriad possibilities for her future, like the stars in the night sky. The last movement is a portrayal of her boundless (and sometimes mischievous) energy as a growing child.
Every movement plays in different ways with the number seven-melodically (using the interval of the seventh), harmonically (using seventh chords and other clusters built using seventh intervals), and temporally (through tempo, meter, and rhythm). The entire first movement is rhythmically based on a repeating pulse, each seven sixteenth notes in duration, superimposed (like a hemiola) over a mostly common-time 4/4 meter. The second movement is in a slow 7/4 meter (seven quarter-note beats per measure). The final movement’s primary time signature is 14/16-fourteen sixteenth notes in each measure, generally (but not always) organized in groups of 4+3+3+4.
Performed November 2, 2024, Coastal Virginia United Universalists, Norfolk, VA for the National Association of Composers USA Mid-Atlantic Chapter.
00:00 Movement 1: Flowing
04:15 Movement 2: Celestial
09:13 Movement 3: Spirited