Project Description
Most cats are ornamental-looking, given the poses they each adopt at various times of the day, whether it be asleep with front paws folded neatly underneath or, like a guard on duty on the window sill, sitting stock still. My cat, Jenny-Any-Dot (who is now long gone) certainly had her regular moments of being ornamental.
In writing The Ornamental Cat, I felt the need to be a little madrigalistic in approach, so the listener will hear the melodic extensions as the ornamental process is developed throughout. The piece is mostly homophonic in texture and strophic in approach, however contrasts in the thematic mood are found in the last two verses. Overall, the work has an Asian-inspired tonality, with florid phrases similar to those found in koto (a Japanese stringed instrument) playing.
The text is by the Australian poet, Philip Rush.
Score sample
