The Black Mass
Full Orchestra - Digital Sheet Music

Full Orchestra - Level 5 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1143117

Composed by Piano Sonata No. 9 Op. 68 Alexander Scriabin. Arranged by Blake P. McCabe. 20th Century,New Age. Score and parts. 43 pages. Blake P. McCabe #743479. Published by Blake P. McCabe (A0.1143117).

This composition is an arrangement of Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 9 Op 68. This piece has traditionally been nicknamed The Black Mass and was written for piano. Scriabin himself accepted this nickname for the piece and earlier on wrote a piece that would be nicknamed The White Mass. The Black mass was completed in 1913, a mere 2 years before his untimely death. The piece is built upon his ‘mystic chord, a hexachord built on fourths. Scriabin described this chord of embodying the divine and having a smoky tonal color, stemming from his own perception of sound as color. This piece moves from haunting sounds in its first motif to a chilling climax, returning to a mysterious murmur, and moves through multiple tempos to drag the listener along its march through its gothic vision, until finally returning to its first motif and leaving the listener haunted by the dark, colorful visions it invokes. To date of publication of this arrangement, I have yet to find an arrangement of The Black Mass for orchestra, band, nor symphony. The piece has many layers within it and includes complex polyrhythms typical of his music. The dark uncurrent, along with the form and choice of lack of direct key signature pose a unique challenge in the arrangement of this piece. I have deigned to maintain the feel of the original piano version, including his choice of time signatures and rhythmic choices while bringing it to life through the sounds of a modified symphony orchestra. This arrangement relies on the timbres of the instrument families to portray the emotional colors of the piece and particularly highlights the woodwind section of the symphony orchestra, along with the angelic sounds of the harp. Percussion is added through timpani, xylophone, glockenspiel, and multi-percussion to heighten the emotional experience of the arrangement.