Cosmic Calls (from Organ Symphony No. 18) (2020)

Bernard Heyes (b. 1951) — Cosmic Calls (from Organ Symphony No. 18) (2020)

The composer has written: “This is an evocation of the immensity of outer space: the inconceivable vastness of superclusters of galaxies and the unimaginable voids between them. After the opening with its distinctive descending perfect 4ths there then followers a powerful manifestation of the theme in the pedal. The middle section takes the form of a succession of antiphonal episodes together with the theme in canon between the manuals and the pedal with an ostinato accompaniment. The theme then returns in the pedal concluded by a dramatic cadence.”

English composer Bernard J. D. Heyes (b. 1951) was born in Kent and began his musical studies at age 21. As a composer, he has focused particularly on music for the organ, most especially his extensive cycle of 20 organ symphonies. Heyes’s musical style draws on a variety of influences and diverse sources of inspiration including the natural world (especially gardens and trees), states of transcendence, ancient Greek philosophy, world cultures and places, life, death, and subatomic physics. The result is music of large scale that connects to the organ’s traditional repertoire while also speaking with a profound and individual voice.

Published by Heyes Music (bernardheyes.org.uk)