Prayers
I. Missive
A missive is a type of letter or other personal correspondence, generally lengthy and often written without necessarily expecting a response. This prayer is a chaconne, a form believed by many scholars to have possibly originated in Mexico early in the Cortesian era before it was transmitted to Spain. The track consists of a repeated chord progression (played on accordion by Josh Baca of Los Texmaniacs) which is pitch-shifted lower with every repetition, and a transition built from a transposed cumbia rhythm and bass patterns by Murcof.
II. Troubled Water
The pace and form of this prayer are determined by the performer as they navigate a field of musical objects, repeating and proceeding in a meandering fashion intended to emulate the unpredictable and inevitable flow of a river over long periods of time. The track consists of field recordings collected at La Linda bridge over the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park. Eight gong tones, made by editing the resonance of a metal wall on the bridge, open and close the prayer. The middle of the track contains a stretch of subtly looping white noise made from clips of sound from the river below.
