Porb Isra

Porb Isra is an exploration in using a Yamaha Silent Brass system to alter the sound of a Horn and to incorporate that timbre as the prevailing color in the piece, rather than acoustic Horn. Alongside the Horn, a vibraphone gives us some rooting in reality as the only traditional timbre. The two voices work together to go on a journey through an otherworldly soundscape.

The title for this piece doesn’t have any deeper meaning, as one might suspect with such an exotic-sounding phrase. Instead, the title is derived from the late-night musings of the composer while sorting through pages of foundational musical material through the course of writing the piece. The words “porb” and “isra” really just come from classification labels for the material that comprises the piece.

This piece is built around the Major 9th Chord, using various permutations and transpositions of the basic harmonic sonority throughout. The real journey of the piece comes through the timbral changes to the Horn, which strive, at times, to eliminate the acoustic sound of the Horn altogether.