Invention for St. Vincent in the Mezquita

Duration: 13 minutes

Instrumentation: solo piano

Program note:

The great mosque of Córdoba, Spain inspired the title of this
work. Construction of the mosque, now a cathedral, began in the 8th
century. After the reconquest of Spain by the Christian Monarchs, a
cathedral was built in the heart of the old mosque. Interestingly
enough, the mosque stands on the site of the St. Vincent basilica built
by the Visigoths of an earlier age. The convergence of divergent
ideologies as manifest in the synthesis of architectural styles makes
the Mezquita of Córdoba a fascinating study of the diverse cultures
that occupy the same physical space.

Invention for St. Vincent in the Mezquita contrasts and
synthesizes distinct musical styles. The principal unfolding of the
original material is interrupted by quotations from J.S. Bach’s
Prelude in C-major from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. The
quotations pay homage to Bach as a composer of “inventions” or
compositional studies. Like the differing architectural masses that
occupy the Mezquita of Córdoba, the juxtaposition comments on
each respective mass of this piece—be it my portion or Bach’s.