Cliff Dwellers

While vacationing in southwestern Colorado, I visited several Anasazi cliff dwellings (houses built in caves and rock overhangs along canyon walls). The caves served as natural shelters from the wind and rain; were warmed by the morning sun and cooled in the evening. The cliff dwellings perched high on ledges of the canyons were virtually inaccessible to outsiders and were easily defensible against nomadic, predatory peoples. Most had to be entered by either removable ladders or by hand and foot holds cut into the cliff faces. Many were situated near a spring or above a river valley with arable land.

Walking among the ruins I noticed the interplay of squares and circles. Squares and rectangles defined rooms; circles defined "spiritual centers" called "kivas." In the rock art and pottery frequent use was made of increasing or decreasing bisected squares and circles (step-fret and spiral designs) to represent the sky, clouds and lightning.

Inspired by all the topographical and architectural imagery I had seen it soon became my desire to compose a musical work that might depict the cliff dwellings and the proud and thriving people who once lived there. Since the Anasazi’s lives were based on communal patterns I made frequent use of the call and response technique. Since their art and architecture reflected simple geometric design patterns I attempted to do the same with music materials—the octave "circle" split in halves, thirds and quarters formed the intervals and chords; similar to the spiral design, shifting each pattern slightly (a half-step) produced the scales.

The resulting composition, Cliff Dwellers, is presented as a symphonic poem. Markers for the journey across the soundscape include emergence of the Anasazi spirit; two visits to the canyon wall; two visits to the valley and a final transcendence into legend.