Scott Sadowsky - "Lítost"

From minimalism to something that might be called "mediumalism". Glass would undoubtedly frown. But that's okay. This piece, which weaves between 3/4 and 6/8 throughout, starts and ends in F# minor, with a prominent part of the middle in D Freygish, AKA D Phrygian dominant. There are also brief appearances by F Freygish, G# Freygish and C Freygish. The bass end is held down by a piano, two contrabasses, a bass trombone and a cello (which, in its first appearance, sneakily plays a very high melody). Not all at the same time, though. Mostly not. The main melodies and harmonies are provided by a single soprano, a small chorus of baritones, a violin, a viola and a flute/clarinet duo, all in varying combinations. Occasional melodies, as well as various accents and ornaments, come from trumpet/xylophone and harp/vibraphone combos. The small amount of percussion to be found here comes from a snare, a bass drum, a couple steel plates and a garbage can lid, courtesy of the Bernard Herrmann Composer's Toolkit. This piece had various working titles over the four days I spent writing, recording and mixing it. "Slipping Away" was the one that stuck the longest. But at the last minute, a word I first heard 35 years ago jumped out at me as the (somehow) obvious choice: "Lítost". It's a Czech word of which the great novelist Milan Kundera said the following: "As for the meaning of this word, I have looked in vain in other languages for an equivalent, though I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can understand the human soul without it". Image generated with Deep AI. Copyright (c) 2025 by Scott Sadowsky. All Rights Reserved. Registration # 2025-A-4897 (Chile).