In Shir Hashirim, the two soloists are each accompanied by a specific instrument: the bride by a solo flute and the bridegroom by a trombone, which act as a 'trace of the unconscious'.
Composition History
Hans Zender's composition Shir Hashirim (1992-1996) is dedicated to Gertrud Zender.
Compositional Technique
Shir Hashirim is the first work to fully implement Hans Zender's unique system of harmonics, developed over several years of reflection on compositional techniques.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The composition Shir Hashirim is influenced by Hans Zender's preoccupation with Chaos Theory, aiming to redefine the relationship between commitment and ambiguity rather than finding formulas for the unpredictable.
Compositional Technique
Shir Hashirim has a strictly symmetrical structure of four main parts, each divided into four sub-parts, yet it features asymmetrical processes developed from within, akin to chaotic systems.
Compositional Technique
Zender's harmonic system in Shir Hashirim uses ring modulation, where each tone is augmented by a second tone (audible interval or unnoticeable sine frequency) to create new sum and difference frequencies.
Historical Context
The text of Shir Hashirim, also known as The Song of Songs, is one of the five 'Megilot' (Sacred Scrolls) in the Hebrew Bible, recited during Pesach to commemorate the liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery.
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