The Revelation of Nature
The Revelation of Nature

an epic orchestral tone poem with overture and four movements

Composed by Kenneth A. Kuhn

between the years of 1969 and 2003

music and description Copyright © 2003 and 2024 by Kenneth A. Kuhn

page revised March 1, 2024

The Revelation of Nature is an epic orchestral tone poem with overture and four half-hour movements chronicling a year-long trek through the seasons of the wilderness from summer to spring by an individual disillusioned with man-made religions who is seeking true understanding of the world. Throughout the journey there is an unseen guide pointing out the way and important observations to make. Near the conclusion of the fourth movement the guide is revealed, thus the title of the work. The protagonist, having completed the journey and now understanding many things, vows to teach humanity to work with Nature rather than against it. The work concludes with an awe-inspiring grand orchestral celebration as Nature rejoices that at least one human now understands.

The work was begun in 1969 and the first draft was completed in 2003 as Cakewalk files using my Korg 01W/Pro synthesizer which with some crafty programming did an excellent job of mimicking a symphony orchestra even though the Cakewalk files were far from real orchestration. Those audio files are below. In 2023 I began a complete orchestration using Finale and hope to complete that by 2025. The complete work has well over 2,000 measures! Inspiration for this work came from countless long walks through the wilderness by the composer who essentially made this journey over the years and in many ways the work is autobiographical. Inspiration also came from travels through the Colorado Rocky Mountains in 1969 and 1979.


Quick Links to Main Audio Files

This web page has a huge number of files. The primary audio (.mp3) files are in bold, larger font for easy location. The other files are for those who seek to study details of the music. The overture is about 11 minutes and each movement is about 30 minutes or more.

The Korg 01W/Pro rendition of the original 2003 Cakewalk files are below:

Korg audio rendition of Overture: tron2003_overture.mp3

Korg audio rendition of Movement 1: tron2003_movement1.mp3

Korg audio rendition of Movement 2: tron2003_movement2.mp3

Korg audio rendition of Movement 3: tron2003_movement3.mp3

Korg audio rendition of Movement 4: tron2003_movement4.mp3


The orchestrated (2023 - 2024) files usinge Finale are below (missing files will be added as they are completed):

Finale audio rendition of Overture: tron_overture.mp3

Finale audio rendition of Movement 1:

Finale audio rendition of Movement 2:

Finale audio rendition of Movement 3:

Finale audio rendition of Movement 4:


Quick Links to the Different Parts

The Overture is based on several woodland themes from the first and second movements and builds to a dramatic climax and concludes with the heavenly revelation music from near the end of the fourth movement.

The title of the first movement is The Majesty of Summer and is in four parts:

The title of the second movement is The Colors of Autumn and is in four parts:

The title of the third movement is The Moods of Winter and is in four parts:

The title of the fourth movement is The Blossoms of Spring and is in five parts:

Links to Various Related Writings Near the Bottom of this Web Page

About the files

The draft was completed in 2003 using the program, Cakewalk, to produce the MIDI files that were sent to a KORG 01W/Pro Synthesizer to produce the sound files. Because the synthesizer could only process a single MIDI channel, all instrumentation was embedded in a single channel in such a way that the synthesizer could, using a program crafted to split the single channel into the eight instruments that comprise the simple orchestra: High Flute, Low Flute, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Trumpet, Brass, Timpani, Violins, and Cello/Bass. I called this process statistical orchestration because based on a given note and its velocity (amplitude) the synthesizer routes the MIDI note and amplitude to the most probable instrument. The result sounds very much like an orchestra although the algorithm is inherently brass heavy. See Statistical Orchestration.

All original files include 2003 in the file name. The original Cakewalk files have an extension of .wrk. The files were upgraded to the newer version of Cakewalk known as SONAR and have an extension of .cwp. Both programs became obsolete many years ago and I include these files for anyone with access to those legacy programs and is interested in the details. The MIDI files were exported from Cakewalk.

The two-stave score pdfs were exported from Cakewalk and in many situations are very difficult to read, particularly when triplets or sextuplets are present. It seems to be in very rare cases that where a measure was exceptionally complicated that there are missing notes. These files were the starting point for creating the full orchestral scores using Finale in 2023 and 2024. Each movement was broken into four or five logical sections so that each file was relatively short in order to make editing easier. These files will be merged into a single file when complete. Although the original music and Finale files are essentially identical, there were a number of meter changes made to the Finale files to better fit some complicated passages. Thus, the measure numbers in the Finale files are typically different by a small amount in comparison to the original files.

In doing the orchestration some notes and harmonies were slightly altered from the 2003 version in a few places. The original might have had some errors or a new way of thinking took place. In a few cases the measure numbers of the separate part files may be offset from the combined score by a measure or so as the point at which one section ends and the next begins is in the middle of a measure. So a temporary measure was added at the beginning of some sections to include the starting note. All of the audio files represent the present state of editing and those posted are deemed to be at least in a good enough state to post before further revisions.

The various Finale music files are still under development so there are empty placeholders for files not yet ready. Those files will be added as they are completed. The goal is to have all files up by the end of 2024.


Overture

The overture is based on melodious woodland themes from the first, second, and fourth movements. After the yearning opening theme, the music softly builds to a very dramatic recapitulation before concluding in serenity with the revelation music. I decided to add a brief overture to the work because the long opening section of the first movement is very contemplative and requires a certain mind set in order to appreciate. The overture allows the listener to clear the mind of extraneous thoughts and develop a focus. Although the main theme was composed just for the overture based on the spirit of the many other themes in the work, I decided it was needed in even more dramatic form near the conclusion of the first movement.

The overture opens with a mountain horn call as much of the music storyline takes place in scenic mountainous terrain inspired by visits to the Rocky Mountains. Inspiration for that horn call came while looking out from Brasstown Bald, the highest point in the mountains of northern Georgia in September of 1989. The overture had been complete for some time, but the addition of this horn call greatly improved the beginning. The next melodies are woodland scenes from the first and second movements and build to a dramatic recapitulation of the opening theme. The tranquil ending is the revelation music of the fourth movement.


Original files from 2003

Original Cakewalk file: tron2003_overture.wrk

Original MIDI file: tron2003_overture.mid

Cakewalk score printout: tron2003_overture.pdf

SONAR conversion: tron2003_overture.cwp

KORG 01W/Pro rendition of MIDI file (9:35): tron2003_overture.mp3


Piano version

Finale file:

Music printout:


Orchestrated version

Finale file: tron_overture.musx

Score printout: tron_overture.pdf

Finale audio rendition: tron_overture.mp3


First Movement: The Majesty of Summer

The first movement is the beginning of the journey and begins with a long and contemplative sunrise section. Then the trek begins in earnest and vista after vista are seen. The energy and spirit levels are very high as the wanderer observes Nature at its grandest.

The opening to this movement was mainly composed in 1979 while I was working in Denver. Each morning I would drive down a long and lonely road to the remote job site at Rocky Mountain Arsenal and saw the sun rising on my right shining on the mountains on my left. The opening trumpet solo dates back to 1969. A lot of work was done in the spring of 2003 and the first completed draft was finished on August 9, 2003.

Original files from 2003:

Original Cakewalk file: tron2003_movement1.wrk

Original MIDI file: tron2003_movement1.mid

Cakewalk score printout: tron2003_movement1.pdf

SONAR conversion: tron2003_movement1.cwp

KORG 01W/Pro rendition of MIDI file (34:42): tron2003_movement1.mp3


Orchestrated version:

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:


Individual sections of the score:

Part 1: Sunrise

The movement opens with a long, somber trumpet solo depicting dawn and is known as the Gaia theme (from Greek mythology and representing the vastness of Nature in both time and detail. There have been billions of sunrises before and there will be billions hence so the music is unhurried. But this sunrise is special. This new day marks the beginning of a quest by a member of humankind to learn about Nature. The wanderer is packed and ready to go and watches this special sunrise. The mood is melancholy with an occasional ray of hope. More instruments join in as the sun rises further. As the sun fully rises, the Hymn to Nature is played by the full orchestra. Except for an appearance in a minor key in the third movement, the hymn will not be heard in full again until the close of the fourth movement, although the opening phrase is heard countless times throughout the work.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement1_part1.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement1_part1.mp3

Part 2: The Quest Begins

The wanderer now begins his trek. It is a brilliant day and the wanderer is awe struck by the many mountain vistas, streams, lakes, forests, fields and all the wildlife at work. After a brief and spectacular introduction the trek theme begins. The trek theme has an energetic and yearning quality. Although he is alone, he has a sense that there is a guide leading him and pointing out all the many things that must be seen and noted. The wanderer will come to know this unseen guide very well over the long journey. The wanderer yearns to see and understand more and the music yearns with him.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement1_part2.mp3

Part 3: Frolic of the Animals

The music begins with the frolicking of the chipmunks and squirrels. Different variations of the theme are heard as other animals frolic in their own way. The first close to this portion is a broad theme signifying that all is well as the wanderer observes a mountain goat majestically overlooking the activities. The music concludes with the animals scattering as a bear approaches and the frolic theme becomes a comic waltz in time with his clumsy antics.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement1_part3.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement1_part3.mp3

Part 4: The Expanse of the Mountains

The music begins in a very grandeur manner. Variations of the horn call from the overture are played against an awe theme based on the pentatonic scale with woodwinds rippling in between. A grand march becomes mysterious and even frightful as the wanderer is in awe of the titanic forces that have shaped the sublime mountain peaks and huge rock formations. The music builds until there is an explosion of grandeur. The main theme of the overture is recalled and the movement ends with the full orchestra playing the opening horn call to the overture to the scene of a brilliant afternoon sun shining on the expanse.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement1_part4.mp3


Second Movement: The Colors of Autumn

This movement was composed between 1974 and 1975 and was the first movement of the work to be completed in my mind. I often worked on it as I drove on I-65 between Athens (where I worked during the the week at a co-op job while in college) and Bessemer (where I stayed with my parents on weekends). The grand hill in Cullman would be very colorful in the fall. A piano sketch was recorded on Sept 28, 1975. As I had no way to write the music, that recording served as the documentation for later use. A short fragment was added to the movement later. A literal transcription of the piano recording was entered as a Cakewalk file in the mid 1990s. After the other movements were completed as Cakewalk files, considerable revisions were made to the file during the period between August 24 and September 6, 2003. Although fine for piano, this form did not play well on the statistical orchestra I use. The revisions involved octave translations, correcting some chord errors, and restructuring chords for full orchestral effect. A brief repeat of one theme was eliminated in the concluding section.

Original files from 2003:

1975 piano recording: tron_movement2_piano.mp3

1975 piano recording: tron_movement2_piano_fragment.mp3

Original Cakewalk file: tron2003_movement2.wrk

Original MIDI file: tron2003_movement2.mid

Cakewalk score printout: tron2003_movement2.pdf

SONAR conversion: tron2003_movement2.cwp

KORG 01W/Pro rendition of MIDI file (35:39): tron2003_movement2.mp3


Orchestrated version:

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:


Individual sections of the score:

Part 1: On a Sunny Afternoon

The movement begins as the wanderer enjoys a perfect day in early autumn. The sky is bright with a few rolling clouds and there is a slight breeze. There is a hint of leaves turning colors. The frolic theme from the first movement is now very relaxed. In the next theme an eagle soars over a mountain lake. This section ends with an explosion of color and majesty followed by a slow and tranquil theme of peace as the wanderer takes a brief nap.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement2_part1.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement2_part1.mp3

Part 2: The Southward Migration

The music anticipates the winter storms that will be coming with the first storm of autumn. There is a sense of urgency and fright as the southward migration escapes the impending grasp of winter. The wanderer is also making preparations for winter and a derivative of the frolic theme conveys his efforts to understand all of this. Play and intelligence are interrelated. Thus, a variation of the frolic theme serves as a deep thinking theme and is used here and in subsequent movements.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement2_part2.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement2_part2.mp3

Part 3: The Color's Majesty

The music begins joyously after the sad close to the previous section. The colors are at their peak. The wanderer observes all of this and tries to resolve inner conflicts about this magnificent spectacle being the result of death of the leaves. The music is very mysterious and magical. Color after color is seen until the music climaxes with the opening theme as beauty takes dominance over the concerns about death.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement2_part3.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement2_part3.mp3

Part 4: Sunset by a Mountain Lake

The peaceful theme that opened the movement is heard again and gradually fades as the sun sets. The wanderer settles in for the night by the lake.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement2_part4.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement2_part4.mp3


Third Movement: The Moods of Winter

This was the last movement to be completed as the opening section had a difficult time coming together. A lot of work was done in 2002 and 2003 and the first complete draft was finished on August 23, 2003. The structure of the third movement dates back to the early 1980s.

Original files from 2003:

Original Cakewalk file: tron2003_movement3.wrk

Original MIDI file: tron2003_movement3.mid

Cakewalk score printout: tron2003_movement3.pdf

SONAR conversion: tron2003_movement3.cwp

KORG 01W/Pro rendition of MIDI file (29:20): tron2003_movement3.mp3


Orchestrated version:

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:


Individual sections of the score:

Part 1: Winter Storms

The music opens with the Gaia theme and a major storm announces the onset of winter. The rain blows fiercely in the high gusts of wind. The rain evolves into a heavy snow storm. This is followed by the migration theme from the second movement and a tragic version of the trek theme from the first movement. The Hymn to Nature theme now heard in a minor key and concludes this section. The mood is that of gloom and despair. Any animal that was late in preparing for winter is now frantically trying to complete the job.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement3_part1.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement3_part1.mp3

Part 2: Of Contemplation

The storms have subsided and all is quiet. There is no evidence of life anywhere. Snow covers everything and the sky is gloomily overcast. The only sound is that of a very cold breeze through the trees. The mood is sad and lonely. The wanderer contemplates why all the grandeur and life of summer has become an apparent wasteland. This is the most introspective music in the work. The music is simple and quiet consisting only of strings and a few woodwinds enter later as the desolation begins to take on a certain beauty. Although everything seems wrong there is something mysteriously very right about all of this. The very peaceful snow theme (composed in 1969) captures the tranquillity of new snow falling in the pre-dawn hours and then into early morning. The gray sky gradually clears and the music becomes triumphant.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement3_part2.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement3_part2.mp3

Part 3: Frolic in the Snow

A trumpet call announces that it is time to come out and play. The sun is brilliant and the mood is joyous and energetic as the animals and the wanderer frolic in the snow. The music is very rhythmic and crisp and has the quality of haunting the mind - it is very hard to let the theme and its subordinates go. To bring the hypnosis of the music to a close I used a brief form of the shift of rhythm method similar to how Jean Sibelius ended his Fifth Symphony (I have heard a number of criticisms of that ending and the first time I heard it I did not understand it either. But I later realized why Sibelius did it that way and his ending makes perfect sense.). Until the spring of 2003 only the opening call, first music, and closing bear waltz existed as all attempts to complete that section failed. But finally, I got the inspriation and that section turned out well.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement3_part3.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement3_part3.mp3

Part 4: Of Desperation

The mood is now of sad desperation. The music opens suddenly and harshly as the bitter cold and lack of food is taking its toll. The movement ends with the Gaia theme played with extreme dissonance representing cold desperation and death.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement3_part4.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement3_part4.mp3


Fourth Movement: The Blossoms of Spring

In the fourth movement the wanderer learns many things leading up to the revelation of Nature. The music is a joyous celebration of life and is the most fast paced and complicated both musically and in the story line of all the movements. There are three endings. The very grand first ending is how the wanderer feels while still enjoying the luxury of ignorance prior to the revelation. The serene second ending is the revelation. In the very triumphant third ending, Nature celebrates the resolve of the wanderer to teach his understanding to humankind so that all can enjoy the utopia that has always been present but obscured by humankind's intent on self deification.

The concluding third ending was composed in 1969. The rest of the movement was completed in late 1981 combining work done in previous years. A piano recording of the movement was made on February 13, 1982 and served as the documentation until a method to write it using computer became available. This was the second movement to be completed. The piano recording was transcribed to a Cakewalk file in the mid 1990s and was later refined for orchestral performance on the synthesizer.

Original files from 2003:

1982 piano recording: tron_movement4_piano.mp3

Original Cakewalk file: tron2003_movement4.wrk

Original MIDI file: tron2003_movement4.mid

Cakewalk score printout: tron2003_movement4.pdf

SONAR conversion: tron2003_movement4.cwp

KORG 01W/Pro rendition of MIDI file (32:59): tron2003_movement4.mp3


Orchestrated version:

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:


Individual sections of the score:

Part 1: New Life on the Meadows

The movement begins with a pastoral setting as a bright trumpet call plays a new variation on the opening phrase of the Hymn to Nature. Then the full orchestra joins in a celebration of all the colors and life that are appearing on the hillsides. All the wildlife are now up and about with new offspring that are learning about the world. A triumphal march announces a reunion of the wildlife society that will be associated for the coming summer. The trek theme is recalled as the wanderer is once again in great stride. After the opening call of this section is heard one last time the music builds in transition to the celebration that the migration of last fall is returning.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement4_part1.mp3

Part 2: The Migration Returns and the Grandeur of Life

A march announces the return of the southern migration. This march is somewhat reminiscent of the southward migration theme from the second movement but is now triumphant and is in the odd time signature for a march of 7/4 and 5/4 (I have considered referring to this as the syncopated march -- although it does not sound syncopated). Everything is growing rapidly to restore the majesty of the approaching summer. There is a feeling of triumph and celebration as the closing theme (God's theme) of the first ending makes its appearance. The wanderer is in awe of the incredible beauty and intricacy of it all. So much is working together in perfect harmony.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement4_part2.mp3

Part 3: The Great Learning

The frolic theme is heard slowly and resolutely in the depths of the orchestra as the music becomes serene as the wanderer contemplates all that is around. A variation of the frolic theme is heard magically and mysteriously as Nature communicates much understanding to the wanderer and the pace of the music picks up. The music becomes triumphant as the wanderer now believes he has achieved the goal of understanding.

A very grandeur coda builds to the first ending. The wanderer feels as one with all of Nature. Nature is a beautiful and wonderful place that is eternal. Surely there can be no higher climax than what is taking place now on this bright Spring day. It seems as if the wanderer's journey and the music as well are now completed. But there is more to learn.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement4_part3.mp3

Part 4: Confusion over Death

Then the wanderer sees the carcass of the mountain goat of last summer. He notices that other creatures from last summer are also missing. Even some of the majestic trees did not survive winter. How could such a perfect place have such tragedy? The wanderer sadly recalls earlier times while trying to make sense of this. Clearly, he has missed something in his quest. In his despair he looks up and is drawn to the most grand vista yet as long yearning tones in the upper orchestral registers hint at a resolution. It is a brilliantly colored hillside dotted with massive boulders next to a dense forest leading up to sublime mountain peaks. The music picks up as he is compelled to run up the hillside on a trail beside a steam. About halfway up he turns to see the grand view below. The music once again becomes very majestic and rapidly builds to a concluding loud and sustained clashing chord (as Bruckner might have done) composed of both major and minor elements representing the great inner conflict the wanderer has at the moment trying to reconcile great beauty with great tragedy.

There is a very dense thicket beside the stream that attracts his attention. The brush is so thick that it is very difficult to enter but there is something about this thicket that draws him in. Then he notices something strange. The light should be dim in such a dense forest but it is not. There is light everywhere. Even though the light is very brilliant it is not blinding. The music becomes very serene. He proceeds deeper into the forest and then sees a very strange sight. All the vegetation now transforms into the spirit image of every creature that has ever lived. Predator and prey sit beside each other in harmony now that they are no longer bound by mortal bodies. He sees the spirit of the mountain goat of last summer standing tall. The wanderer then notices an individual sitting in the midst of all these spirits - it is his unseen guide! The guide is obviously very old but has everlasting youth. He is smiling and is very proud of the wanderer for taking the time to journey through and learn about Nature. The wanderer now realizes that the unseen guide has been God himself. As has been before, no words are ever spoken but a great understanding takes place in the mind of the wanderer. He now understands the full cycle of life and death and how all of Nature works in harmony and that all life is interdependent on other life. His friends of last summer are not gone - their spirits live on in all the new life of this year and years to come. Every living thing has a purpose in mortal life and that life itself is only a part of the grand scheme. Death is the transformation of life into a different entity and all present life depends on past life and all future life depends on present life. Life itself is everlasting but in different forms. All life has a right to be. Killing is proper or necessary only if done to sustain other life. Nature has been revealed. God and Nature are one in the same. Manmade religions may come and go but Nature is eternal. The revelation music marks the second ending to the finale and concludes in total serenity with God's theme.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition:

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement4_part4.mp3

Part 5: The Revelation and Celebration

The wanderer emerges from the forest and continues walking up the trail beside the stream now with the complete understanding that he was seeking. The music is flowing with the water and begins with a variation to the Hymn to Nature. This variation then evolves into a simple duet. Then the full orchestra triumphantly plays the Hymn to Nature for the final time. The Gaia theme is heard majestically and evolves to the great resolution theme as the wanderer resolves henceforth to work with Nature and to teach his understanding to the rest of humankind. From the top of the hillside the wanderer sees Nature in full glory and celebration from the snow covered mountain peaks above to the lush green valleys below. The wanderer and all of Nature together celebrate and rejoice the successful conclusion to the long journey. The music to this third and final ending is the grandest of all - for when Nature celebrates, the music must be grand and becomes a spine chilling, awe inspsiring conclusion. The work ends with the orchestra triumphantly playing the B-flat major chord as loud as possible. The chord is topped off with a solo trumpet playing the high B-flat note.

And then there is a brief period of silence as the listener is transported out of the world of Nature and back into the world of humankind. This silence is as awe inspiring as the loudness of the conclusion and is an important part of the work. During this silence the listener should bring all their thoughts and feelings from this epic journey together to establish how they will henceforth relate to Nature. The epilogue to this story is now up to the listener.

Finale score:

Score printout:

Finale audio rendition: tron_movement4_part5.mp3

Original 2003 audio: tron2003_movement4_part5.mp3


Synopsis of this Work

The Revelation of Nature is an epic tone poem for orchestra with overture and four movements representing a wanderer trekking through the wilderness during the four seasons from summer through spring for the purpose of understanding Nature. An unseen guide directs the path and assists in the quest of learning and understanding. The significance of all of Nature is revealed to the wanderer and even the guide is revealed in the end - thus the title for the work. With the knowledge and understanding gained from the odyssey, the wanderer resolves to teach humankind how to work with Nature rather than against it. The work concludes as all of Nature rejoices.

The four movements, each of which is an individual tone poem, are: The Majesty of Summer, The Colors of Autumn, The Moods of Winter, and The Blossoms of Spring. The overture introduces the music and sets the mood for the first movement to begin. Each movement is around a half-hour in length and the total performance time for this work is nearly two and a half hours. It is hard to describe how music sounds in words so the best description I can give is to imagine a combination of the very descriptive themes of The Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe and the majesty of Sequoia, A Tone Painting by Homer C. LaGassey, and the grandeur of An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. If you like these works you will probably like The Revelation of Nature.

Each movement can be listened to individually and the meaning contemplated. But there should be occasions where the entire work is heard in one setting. I provide only the basic structure of the overall story. Rather than listening passively, each listener should actively fill in his or her own details to create their own personal odyssey. Each listener must become the wanderer in order to fully appreciate the meaning of this work. Follow the wanderer through his journey and learn as he learns. Perhaps you will leave this music with a renewed attitude and be inspired to visit with and spend somereal quality time with Nature. Let the music be your unseen guide. This is appropriate since all dialogue between the guide and the wanderer is unspoken. The ultimate language of music expresses thoughts for which words are inadequate.

The music is an escape from the hectic pace of modern life. In some respects the great length of this music is a protest against the attention deficit disorder society we presently live in. A journey through Nature is not supposed to be a quick fix - it takes time to contemplate and understand it all. Because of the sprawl of civilization, it is not easy to commune with Nature like it used to be. I have used the music many times as therapy to recover from an overdose of a human dominated world.

Background

The composition was begun in early 1969 and evolved to this form around 1974. The story line evolved with the music but always involved a wanderer character. I knew in 1969 that this was going to be a significant work and that it would take a long time to complete. The overture was added in 1985. Numerous efforts to complete the work in past years failed. I began a major effort to complete the work in the winter of 2003. The inspiration and drive to complete the work was at an all-time high and the draft was finished in late summer, 2003. I felt compelled to write this music - my thoughts were influenced by an unseen guide. The work represents my very best - nothing else I have ever written or may write will compare to this, my favorite work.

Much of the inspiration for this work came from drives through Rocky Mountain National Park and other parts of Colorado in the summers of 1969 and 1979. Inspiration was also provided by many walks through the woods (all destroyed by the sprawl of civilization) near where I grew up in western Bessemer, Alabama. Although the wanderer is a fictional character, a number of his experiences are based on those of my own. Hence, some parts of the music are autobiographical as I too, have walked the woods alone during all seasons of the year and have learned much from the observation of Nature.

It took a long time to arrive at the title for this work. In the early years the working title was, The Infinite Creation, but that title just did not fit. Around 1995 I set out to determine what the real title should be. I put a lot of applicable adjectives on a piece of paper and then tried numerous combinations. One almost title was, A Trek Through Nature. What seemed to be working was the phrase, The _____ of Nature. Some candidate words for the blank were: story, voice, seasons, grandeur, inspiration, and path. In thinking about the climax of the work it became apparent that the missing word had to be revelation. I kept experimenting with other titles but nothing approached this one.

The Title and Religion

This work is about the ultimate religion of Nature - i.e. God and Nature are one in the same. The two main themes of the work, Gaia and Hymn to Nature, which simplistically would seem to be incompatible from a theological perspective, converge to a complete interpretion of the Creator. Although officially a myth, Gaia represents the concept that there was a grand creator who is also within all of Nature. Nature has many things to teach. The wildlife already knows and lives by these teachings, but humankind is still ignorant. Humankind is determined to conquest Nature -- a futile endeavor. The laws of Nature are violated and much suffering results for all. Humankind must learn how to work with Nature and not against it. To do this requires a major change in thinking. The wanderer in this story accepts his ignorance and approaches Nature with a clear mind and is greatly rewarded for doing so. The purpose of the trek was the suspicion that something was missing from manmade religion and that the truth could only be discovered by personal experience.

I had no idea that the title I chose as well as the story line would be so troubling for certain religious types. It is interesting that I had never heard the phrase, the revelation of nature, prior to choosing that for the title of this work. In doing research on that phrase in the spring of 2003, I discovered that it is prevalent in theological writings where its use correlates with the theme of this work but as an incomplete and immature comprehension of mankind about religion. It is written that only manmade scriptures that are purported to be inspired by God reveal the complete relationship. It is required to be impossible for humankind, i.e. the wanderer, to understand God via observation and study of the world He created - thus, revelation of Nature is prohibited by the religion of man. I argue that the two previous sentences are inconsistent. How is it that Nature inspires only certain self-appointed deities and not anyone in general? It appears to me that humankind created religion in order to dictate to God how the world should be according to the fancy of men. I do not believe that a manmade religion can ever reveal the true place that humankind was intended to occupy in the grand Creation. Manmade religions serve mankind, not God. The fundamental of manmade religion is that the individual is automatically condemned to Hell unless that individual follows the procedure established by the manmade religious hierarchy for salvation. Man's purpose seems to be the condemnation of everything. Contrast this with the fundamental of Nature - the individual is automatically accepted into paradise unless that individual rejects Nature. God did not create life for the purpose of condemning it.

Because of the title and what I have written here, this work will probably be rejected those people who are self-appointed deities dedicated to condemning what they see as the mistakes of God - of which I must certainly be one. Observe that in this story, the wanderer left manmade religion behind and approached Nature with the intent to understand rather than to dominate. It is only with that type of open and clear mind that one can develop a true relationship with Nature, i.e. God. In an epilogue to this story the wanderer returns to humankind to teach that each person must individually discover Nature in a direct sense rather than blindly accept the postulates of manmade religion. For writing this I will be called a heathen - just as the wanderer is clearly a heathen. By definition, a heathen is one who does not subscribe to popular religious doctrine. It is interesting that this work concludes with a heathen being welcomed into God's presence. In retrospect, I could not have chosen a better title for this work.

The Music

The work is based on two main themes although the number of different melodies heard throughout the work is almost countless. The first main theme is referred to as the Gaia (from Greek mythology) theme and is based on a sequence of major and minor thirds representing the vastness of Nature in both time and detail. The second main theme is referred to as the Hymn to Nature and represents unspoken dialogue (i.e. dialogue in thought) between Nature and the wanderer. Each main theme is heard completely only a few times during the work although the opening phrases of the two seemingly unrelated themes interact constantly throughout the work and have a related rhythm that ties them together. Each movement is divided into a number of sections representing a particular scene from the overall story.

As of the end of 2003, all movements of this work were completed in what I call draft form as Cakewalk files in combination with a special program on my Korg 01/Wpro synthesizer to implement a statistical orchestra (see statorch.htm). The statistical orchestra I developed does a very credible job and enables me to hear the work generally as intended. If one is listening to the music rather than judging orchestration then it is easy to ignore some orchestration flaws (too much brass) in the recordings I have made of this work.

The work was essentially finished on September 6, 2003 after completing revisions to the second movement. During the next several weeks I made final revisions to all of the movements and the overture. The quest begins portion of the first movement needed extensive revisions and held up the completion of this work for about a month. The revisions were completed on October 25 and that is my official date of completion.

Although I have heard each movement countless times in my mind and while refining the composition, I had long wanted to be able to listen to the entire work as it was meant to be heard - as pure music and without having to think about fine details that need more refinement. Finally, after nearly 35 years, I first listened to the entire work on October 26, 2003. It was a memorable experience. The work is now ready to be heard by others.

Thematic Links to Other Works

Although the melodies are completely different, one of two slightly different forms of a common rhythmic pattern from the opening phrase of the Hymn to Nature theme in my work is identical to several other works concerning Nature. One is the opening phrase of the main theme of Sequoia (by Homer C. LaGassey) and another is the main theme of An Alpine Symphony. (by Richard Strauss) There are two links of this theme to Beethoven's sixth symphony (Pastoral). The first occurs in a repeating phrase of a prominent fast paced fragment of the opening theme in the latter half of the first movement. The second is the opening phrase of the main theme in the fifth movement. Although I am not sure what to make of it, I find it interesting that this pattern appears in four works concerning Nature. Perhaps this is just a common pattern that occurs in a lot of music. There is also a partial thematic link in a theme in The Blossoms of Spring (and used in the overture) to one of the themes in the Sunset movement of The Grand Canyon Suite (by Ferde Grofe). I discovered this in the early 1980s and considered making a revision but decided that the link was pure coincidence as the path I took with the theme was very different from the path Grofe took. There is a thematic similarity of the Gaia theme to the opening theme of Dedicatory Overture (by Clifton Williams). This is really not so unusual as both themes are based on the same common sequence of major and minor thirds (every other white note on the piano) and so should sound similar. I was in the process of forming the Gaia theme when I first heard Dedicatory Overture which immediately became one of my favorite works for band so my thoughts may have been influenced by that.


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