Ken Jehle
Wing Haven Chamber Music
Classical Guitar
As a musician, nature enthusiast and longtime supporter of ACRES Land Trust, I am very excited about the Wing Haven Ecological Reflections Arts, Humanities, and Sciences project. This 200-year project commissions an artist once a year to create a work. At the end of this “short-term” project, it is hoped this large body of work puts into perspective the gravity of ACRES commitment to protecting land forever. I consider it a great honor to be selected as the 2020 artist. I feel privileged to have my humble project added to this amazing collection!
ACRES Land Trust has commissioned me to compose a musical work. I have chosen to write a piece for three classical guitars. In my opinion, the classical guitar is the perfect choice for this work. It is a natural instrument. It requires no electricity. It is made of wood. It uses minimal paint or stain, relying entirely on the wood’s natural color and the beauty of the grain for visual appeal. The guitar is portable and easily taken to nature preserves for performances. Finally, the nylon strings’ soft, soothing tones are quiet and reflective, like the peace you feel on a nature walk.
I named the piece I wrote “Wing Haven Chamber Music.” The work is a “cryptogram” that contains the name “Wing Haven” encoded into the notes of the main melody of the song! This is easily done by setting up cypher or encoding scheme to convert the letters of the alphabet into notes of the musical scale. Although this piece is considered chamber music and written for a classical guitar ensemble, it is not a “highbrow” composition but meant to appeal to a large audience. It contains exciting rhythms, large dynamic swings, musical interplay between the parts and several popular music elements.
Wow! This is the first time I have heard the Wing Haven Chamber Music. It is beautiful! Thanks so much for the union of ACRES and Ken Jehle. And also thanks for the vision of Jason Kissel and his creating the 200 year project.