The Astrological Signs for Guitar is a suite for Classical Guitar inspired by the 12 signs of the Zodiac.
In 2011 I completed a suite for classical guitar based on the astrological sign in the Zodiac.
Why I Wrote Astrological Signs for Classical Guitar
I originally got the idea after seeing a concert at the University of Montreal and talking to one of the performers. Although I didn't see the programme of the show, the cellist who played in the concert told me that it was based on the Astrological Signs. I thought this would be a great idea for a guitar composition.
For musical continuity, I decided to present the signs out of the usual order of the Zodiac, following the months of the year. For instance, Sagittarius, the ninth sign in the Zodiac, appears in Astrological Signs for Guitar as number 5. And while Libra is the seventh sign of the Zodiac, it is the third sign to appear in the suite. Gemini is the third Astrological Sign in the Zodiac and it appears here as number 10.
Order Of Appearance Of The Astrological Signs
Aquarius, the water bearer, is the eleventh sign of the Zodiac and it actually appears in the suite at the identical spot of its Zodiac sign. All the other signs are out of order. For instance, Pisces is the twelfth sign of the Zodiac, and it appears here as number 8 in the Astrological Signs for Guitar.
The performance order of the 12 signs is as follows:
- Capricorn
- Aries
- Libra
- Cancer
- Sagittarius
- Taurus
- Virgo
- Pisces
- Scorpio
- Gemini
- Aquarius
- Leo
Some Astrological Signs for Guitar
Here are some of the signs from the suite for classical guitar that I composed in 2013, called Astrological Signs.
Libra
The Astrological Sign Libra is based on the scales of justice held by Themis. These scales, in Greek mythology, represent divine law and custom. For the musical representation of Libra, I wanted a suitably noble sounding work, so I drew inspiration from the French composers.
The music starts off with swaying chords played by the guitar, reminiscent perhaps of Erik Satie's Gymnopédie. We then come to the main theme played in a minor key. The reason for this sad style is, once again, to hark back to the dreamy music of the French impressionists.
After a fast scalar run of sixteenth notes, we arrive in the middle section of the work. The dreaminess of the first section is left behind and this section builds up in agitation, dissonance and speed. This is symbolic of how the astrological sign Libra starts out as a small thing and then grows into something more powerful.
Finally we turn back to the main theme and the work ends quietly on a major chord.
Sagittarius
With Sagittarius, the music starts out confidently, in an unusual time signature. You will hear the arrival of a powerful figure, the Centaur, with his bow and arrow. The Centaur of Mythology is represented at the beginning with a confident and somewhat dissonant march. The march builds up to a crescendo and then we hear the central theme.
This theme is less dissonant and more flowing than the previous march. The shimmering melody rises above the bass to the higher register of the guitar.
Sagittarius are optimistic and adventurous; the middle section of the music explores the higher register of the guitar with flowing arpeggio sounds in the bass strings. This music tells the story of Sagittarius as he is making his way across the landscape. The arpeggios represent the arrow's flight as it leaves Sagittarius' bow.
Finally the music quiets down with some plucked chords in the guitar, played diminuendo. The arrow finally descends onto Earth and hits its target. The music ends here with a plucked flute-like harmonic chord.
Virgo
Virgo tells the story of Astrea, the maiden who is living a good life on Earth. She is the last immortal to flee the Earth, and the music represents her flight from Earth.
The opening theme of this work is the Burlesque in G Major by Leopold Mozart. This is a Classical piece of music for piano that is written for children. The melody starts out very quietly, plucked with a special technique called palm muting or pizzicato. However the theme rapidly gets deformed, showing trouble on the horizon.
Astrea the maiden gets rapidly dragged down into the underworld. Here, you will hear rapid descending scales and sharp chords strummed with the nails of the hand.
Astrea was threatened with death in a lava pit, but she was saved. She was given an opportunity to flee the Earth and live among the Gods. Her decision is represented by a short pause in the music. Finally, Astrea decides to take flight and leave her previous abode.
The opening theme is once again heard, this time accompanied by warm, lush harmonies. Astrea has found her place among the Gods and is more confident. The music draws happily to a close. As you can see, this Astrological Sign is longer and somewhat more complex than previous signs.
Pisces
Pisces is the symbol of the fish, which are creatures of the underworld. I wanted appropriately enough to start with a slow, dark and mysterious theme. This theme is punctuated by several chords, played staccato. Next, the music gradually builds into a crescendo, increasing in volume and speed as we move up towards the light.
The middle section has beautiful flowing arpeggios, but this doesn't last; we quickly descend back into the darkness. We hear a series of convincing chords and then the opening theme appears again. The closing section includes a technique that is called cascading harmonics.
This Astrological Sign explores the balance between light and darkness of the Pisces. The music remains for the most part in the shadows, although there may be some brightness as things progress.
Gemini
Gemini is the twins, Castor and Pollux. This was one of the first signs I tackled when I composed Astrological Signs for Guitar and I was immediately inspired.
The music represents the twins, and identical twins are often difficult for those who don't intimately know them to tell them apart. But the twins aren't mere mirror images of each other, however.
The music starts with the guitar playing what may seem like a mirror image. The melodic line dips from high to low and back again, and this is repeated in the opposite direction simultaneously, in a sort of contrapuntal dance. The music develops into an unexpected crescendo as the twins experience their first conflict.
Then a rhythmic beat commences on a bass note. We hear the "twins" theme at the beginning but it is broken into pieces. Finally the guitar plays flowing arpeggios and the music comes back to a calmer state. The music finishes on a somewhat dissonant chord, always reminding us of the twins' originality despite their similar appearance.
Aquarius
Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the Zodiac and also appears as number 11 in Astrological Signs for Guitar. The music for Aquarius is quite influenced by classical guitar. The theme comes from something that I hummed into my cell phone when I was studying Classical Guitar at the University of Montreal.
The music starts off with rather tumultuous arpeggios played in the key of A minor. It quickly rises into the higher register of the guitar before descending with some dissonant sounding chords. The music then explores the brighter key of A major, showing that Aquarius is not all darkness. But the theme reappears slowly in the bass notes.
After a middle section we hear once again the arpeggios from the beginning. The music finishes in the sombre minor key with the final chords being played softly and slowly. The music flows away peacefully into the distance, like water flowing in a stream after the rain.
