Program Note
what the trees know
The world was once made of trees: they shaped everything we know with their living and dying. We humans, in fact, literally descended from the trees to walk upon earth built by their generations and held by their roots. We might benefit from contemplation of the ways of our ancient hosts.
Think of it: their lives begin in fragile mystery, with the blind faith of pale tendrils reaching down into darkness, parting grains of soil and pushing through clay toward the water that they will raise up to build cell upon cell a flowing column, up to the breathing leaves. Imagine: every single individual tree harbors a whole secret world buzzing with life, every surface covered with uncountable beings, all collaborating in symbiotic creation. This is a wisdom beyond our comprehension.
Yet if we attend to what the trees know, we can begin to identify with them, and with all the beings that, like us, are dependent on them for our existence. By following the lessons they offer us, we can enter into a new relationship with the web of life that makes our own lives possible. We might even be able to face the hard truth of our continuing thoughtless destruction of the world’s forests, and to mourn the loss of the millions of years of life building life that those sacred places represent.
What can we do? We can learn to do as the trees do, gathering the energies of a place to multiply life, rather than extracting and exploiting.
We can care for the trees. We can leave them standing, pay attention, nurture the wild places; we can learn to live in love and in peace with the livingness that surrounds us. If you think the trees aren’t talking to you, go out and listen more carefully.
This piece is dedicated to the memory of Leslie and Anita Bassett, two great trees of my community, who lived lives of generosity, creativity, and courage; I am grateful for their moral clarity and their warm friendship. The work was commissioned by and written for MoVE, Modern Violin Ensemble.
Program information
note that title is all lower case
what the trees know (2016)
for four violins and optional voice
Evan Chambers (b. 1963)
Section titles:
roots - secret world - time lapse (tender stem) - budding - leaf song - breezes -branching - lament for the forests (old growth) - new growth
sections are performed without pause
duration ca 12:00-13:00
Evan Chambers
what the trees know
The world was once made of trees: they shaped everything we know with their living and dying. We humans, in fact, literally descended from the trees to walk upon earth built by their generations and held by their roots. We might benefit from contemplation of the ways of our ancient hosts.
Think of it: their lives begin in fragile mystery, with the blind faith of pale tendrils reaching down into darkness, parting grains of soil and pushing through clay toward the water that they will raise up to build cell upon cell a flowing column, up to the breathing leaves. Imagine: every single individual tree harbors a whole secret world buzzing with life, every surface covered with uncountable beings, all collaborating in symbiotic creation. This is a wisdom beyond our comprehension.
Yet if we attend to what the trees know, we can begin to identify with them, and with all the beings that, like us, are dependent on them for our existence. By following the lessons they offer us, we can enter into a new relationship with the web of life that makes our own lives possible. We might even be able to face the hard truth of our continuing thoughtless destruction of the world’s forests, and to mourn the loss of the millions of years of life building life that those sacred places represent.
What can we do? We can learn to do as the trees do, gathering the energies of a place to multiply life, rather than extracting and exploiting.
We can care for the trees. We can leave them standing, pay attention, nurture the wild places; we can learn to live in love and in peace with the livingness that surrounds us. If you think the trees aren’t talking to you, go out and listen more carefully.
This piece is dedicated to the memory of Leslie and Anita Bassett, two great trees of my community, who lived lives of generosity, creativity, and courage; I am grateful for their moral clarity and their warm friendship. The work was commissioned by and written for MoVE, Modern Violin Ensemble.
Program information
note that title is all lower case
what the trees know (2016)
for four violins and optional voice
Evan Chambers (b. 1963)
Section titles:
roots - secret world - time lapse (tender stem) - budding - leaf song - breezes -branching - lament for the forests (old growth) - new growth
sections are performed without pause
duration ca 12:00-13:00
Evan Chambers