Structures is a five-movement work by John H. Wallace for flute, bassoon, violin, viola and cello. The title carries a double meaning – that of musical, as well as physical, structure. Each movement employs an historic building in Essex County, Massachusetts, as a point of departure. The buildings, and the associated histories of their real or fictional occupants, provide a loose narrative that runs throughout the work.
How the actual buildings influence the musical structure varies from movement to movement. The five movements form a symmetrical arch-shaped form, with the first, third and fifth movements consisting of the longest and weightiest musical content. One aspect that unites all of the buildings is in their direct, or tangential, association with the Salem witch hysteria of 1692.
The building upon which the first movement is based, the Rebecca Nurse House (Danvers), is an archetypical First Period post-and-beam structure with two stories, each divided into two main rooms. This subdivision is reflected in the four main sections of the movement. After the septuagenarian mother of eight was arrested on charges of witchcraft, 40 of her neighbors signed a petition attesting to her strong moral character. The numbers eight and 40 are incorporated into the music on many levels. For example, the first of the four main sections is 40-measures long and consists of 40 rhythmic entry points. Later in the movement, the full five-voice ensemble intones a series of eight chords equaling 40 individual pitches.
The second movement is based on the Nathaniel Felton, Sr. House in Peabody. (Nathaniel defiantly defended his neighbor, John Proctor, during the witch trials.) Over the years, additions were added to the building in typical “telescoping” fashion. While no longer extant, this addition methodology forms the basis for this movement’s musical construction.
The central (third) movement is based on the House of the Seven Gables (Turner-Ingersoll mansion) in Salem, and is set as a symmetrical seven-part rondo reflecting the contour of the well-known roofline. This historic building provided the inspiration for Hawthorne’s famous novel from which the popular name of this structure is derived. While not overtly programmatic, the music does evoke the oppressive gloom of the novel, progressing to a corresponding lightening of mood at its conclusion.
The fourth movement is based on the Rev. John Wise House in Essex, which reflects the eminently practical nature of post-and-beam construction, where additions were built on as need for space and money allowed. Faint but evident traces of the evolution of this structure appear in various places throughout the house, providing quiet testimony to the “living” nature of the residence. In line with the historic narrative, the Rev. Wise was a strong advocate of democracy and “no taxation without representation,” providing a key point of inspiration for the later Founding Fathers. He supported Increase Mather’s attempts to ban “spectral evidence” from use in the witch trials, and later attempted to have the convictions reversed.
The final movement draws its inspiration from the First Religious Society in Newburyport. The spire of this venerable structure is a prominent landmark in this coastal town, visible from all directions. The church, now a Unitarian Universalist congregation, has roots that stretch back to the 1630s, and is a living descendant of the earliest settlers in Massachusetts. The proportions of this beautiful spire are translated into the proportions of the movement, ending with the “squeak” of the weathercock at it pinnacle. |
