“Wabi-sabi acknowledges that just as it is important to know when to make choices, it is also important to know when not to make choices: to let things be.” (Leonard Koren in “Wabi- Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers”.)
The aesthetic and metaphysical ideals that Japanese wabi-sabi encapsulates include simplicity, naturalness, and an acceptance of reality. The full musical work for string quartet seeks to illustrate the overall nature of wabi-sabi. At both the beginning of movement 1 and the ending of movement 3, notes are thought of as specks of Potentiality that are randomly evolving from or devolving to Nothingness. Movement 2, at the center point of this universal journey, expresses a concerted effort of diverse elements to create structure and meaning.
Hear the whole work on “Crystallization”, streaming everywhere.
Sarah Wallin Huff holds an MA in Music Composition from Claremont Graduate University. As a violinist, violist, and 6-string electric violinist, she has extensive experience performing all styles in a variety of groups, recording projects, and solo and ensemble concerts across the USA and eleven European countries. She has enjoyed her work as a composer for concert halls and soundtrack work since 1993. While her sonic output crosses a variety of moods and styles, a common thread linking them all is what she calls “stream-of-consciousness composition,” in which every piece is built upon an enigmatic, underlying framework, from which the work fluidly evolves.
