Don Knuth, FANTASIA APOCALYPTICA, Chapters 21-22. Jan Overduin, organ. With composer's manuscript.
Fantasia Apocalyptica is "a somewhat literal translation of the Biblical book of Revelation into music for the pipe organ" (DK's website). The Greek text contains almost exactly 10,000 words, and is followed closely. Knuth identified more than 100 principal motifs in that text, and assigned a musical equivalent to each of them. "One hears these motifs repeatedly building on each other, as they eventually become familiar" (DK, from the program of the first performance). Some of the motifs are melodic, others are rhythmic, harmonic, idiomatic etc., and some are attainable only on a pipe organ, e.g. use of the Zimbelstern for 'star' and Spitzflöte for Ch. 3:16. Some invoke the styles of other composers, including Alain, Bach, Beethoven, Borodin, Brubeck, Debussy, Franck, Gershwin, Hindemith, Messiaen, and Schoenberg. Other motifs pay homage to dozens of choral compositions that have been based on Revelation, especially F. Schmidt, Brahms, and Gounod. "The musical ideas change somewhat rapidly, although they do recur in patterns" and "I don't pause to wait until the listener 'gets it''; instead, I hope that the listener will appreciate a bit more every time the piece is heard" (DK). Don's carefully hand-written score is a great help in 'deciphering' the work and 'unveiling' its mysteries.